


That First October: 2019 Prompts

by AcidGreenFlames



Series: It's a Mage Kind of World [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Mages, Monster of the Surface, Murder, Murder of an OC, Sans (Undertale) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, description of death, description of monster protesters, graphic description of death, mention of depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2020-11-14 21:34:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 27,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20854598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AcidGreenFlames/pseuds/AcidGreenFlames
Summary: After making it to the surface after the horrors of the underground, Sans is happy with his human mate.This is their first October.





	1. Note from the Author

Hello Dear readers, 

On Tumblr, a wonderful writer, SheeWolf85 put together a list of prompts for October 2019. I've always wanted to participate in a challenge like this, but my fics have never been at the right place to participate. 

This year I want to change that! 

This year I want to do a drabble a day and post at least one drabble for one each day of the month of October, taking place after the events of The Ninety-Fourth Time once the monsters reach the surface. 

So, if you have not read The Ninety-Fourth Time, these drabbles won't make sense and I would suggest reading that first. 

For those who have read The Ninety-Forth Time, it is currently still in progress and there will be MAJOR spoilers for what the last two chapters have in store. I do plan on finishing this story within the month, and have two short stories to follow that once this has been completed. 

Until then, come on in and enjoy the drabbles. :) 

Prompt List 

1\. Night 

2\. Fangs 

3.Rain 

4\. Walking Dogs 

5\. Falling Leaves 

6.Pumpkin 

7\. Graveyard 

8.Haunted House 

9.Hugs 

10\. Angst 

11\. Sing 

12\. Isolation 

13\. Underwater 

14\. Heartbeat 

15\. Blood

16\. Cobwebs

17\. Hot Cocoa

18\. Fireplace

19\. Childhood Photograph 

20.Full Moon 

21\. <strike>Bara</strike> Decorating For Halloween

22\. Game

23\. Bad Habit

24\. Working the Day/Night Shift

25\. Flowers

26.<strike> Bitty </strike>Scary Movie

27\. Sorry, We’re Closed

28\. Sunset

29.On the Surface

30\. Face Paint

31\. Halloween


	2. Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans takes a walk at night.

The surface was different from the underground, that much Sans knew and realized. It was better, in so many ways, all the good ways. All the best ways. It’s just…there was just so _much_.

So much to do and see, so much room for everyone. So many resources.

Life was better on the surface. Sans was _happy _on the surface. 

It was just overwhelming because everything was so _different_. Sometimes his anxiety got the best of him. Sometimes it was so different, it horrified him.

Standing at the entrance of an alleyway, Sans felt his mouth fall open as he watched in horrified fascination as a woman pressed a man easily twice her size into the dirty brickwork of some dive bar with her tiny teeth puncturing the skin of his throat.

Sans can smell the blood she sucks from him in deep, greedy gulps that take up her entire attention; she doesn’t even realize that Sans is there, trapped in shocked stillness.

He jumps when he feels a hand curl at the back of his hoodie, and Sans was yanked firmly away from the mouth of the alley and back out into the busy street of downtown Ebott’s entertainment district. Sans twisted in Lilith’s grip to look back at the alley way, still stunned as he was led away, his mouth dropped open in surprise.

Shivering in the cold night air of early fall, Sans felt like his skull was spinning with surprise and mounting shock. They had all heard about the fairy tale folk when they had broken the barrier and come to the surface, it was something else to see one _feeding_. 

“That was a vampire.” Sans breaths in a rush, his surprise was staring to fade and he laughs nervously.

Lilith nods, looking both ways before she leads Sans across the street to Grillby’s new bar in Ebott, “Sure was.” She says lightly, “Another coven has moved into our territory. They were fleeing hunters in a human settlement.”

Sans looks back nervously at the alley that was rapidly diminishing from view in the throng of people. <strike>Too many people, and Sans pushed that away. This was for Grillz. </strike>

“Shouldn’t we do something?” he asks softly, concerned for the helpless human.

Lilith flashed him in smile, breaking from her usual neutrality, “His name is Justin, and he’s new on the registry.”

It takes Sans a minute to remember what that meant, there were just so many new rules on the surface, and so many folks that Sans had thought had only been fairy tales until they reached the surface, “He wants her to bite him.” He says slowly, remembering that vampires only bit other creatures if they wanted to be bit and volunteers went on a registry to prevent any accidental ‘rescues’ for willing participants.

Lilith smiles at him again, “I saw his paperwork yesterday.” She gives him a little shrug, “And his badge is just beneath his jacket.”

“Huh.” Sans makes a noise and relaxes next to his mate as they come to Grillby’s new restaurant. They’re hit with a wave of heat as they come inside, and the cold, night air is locked on the outside with the hunters, “They were in an alley.” He points out, and Lilith smirks at how he almost sounds _scandalized_.

“Didn’t think you were such a prude Sans.” Lilith teases him lightly, nudging his shoulder as they find a seat.

Sans snorts, still a little caught off guard at finding a vampire feeding, likely not the last one he’d see, “Hardly. Least they had their pants on.” He looks up at Lilith and waggles his brow at her, “I’ve read a vampire bite has the bite-ie _chomping _at the bit for a_gnawing _chance to be their main _vein_.”

Lilith laughs, and it eases some of the tension in is soul. 

There were a lot of new rules on the surface, and Sans is sure that he’ll be forgiven for not remembering all of them.


	3. Fangs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans encounters real monsters.

They haven’t been on the surface for long, not really. A handful of weeks at most, long enough for the late summer heat to fade into the cool fall weather. Enough time for the cold summer drinks to turn into hot pumpkin spice everything.

It was enough time for Sans to become attached to his new world.

His right eye erupted in blue and yellow, flashing the two colors in the face of the maw of a wrathe.

The dog like creature growled at him, standing head and shoulders over him, it lowered its dark head with parted jaws, and he could see drool dripping from sharp, jagged teeth. Beyond the creature Sans could see flashes of magic in red, yellow, orange, green and blue as the mages he’s grown to love battle with creatures from another realm on the ground; over head dragons filled the skies to tare at winged wrathe’s, spraying thick blood onto the city below like rain and at his back Frisk tries to stand tall and determined in front of Fuku and Monster Kid, even as her little hands shake.

Sans _cares_ about his new home, and the people here even when it’s hard. Even when it would be so easy to step aside and let things play out as they do.

Yet, Sans stepped aside so much underground and didn’t care.

It was when Sans did care that you should be afraid.

With a cold smirk, he lifted his control hand as four massive Gaster Blasters materialized from thin air, the strobbing of his eye got faster, more intense and bordering on madness.

Behind him, Monster Kid sobbed, and Fuku whimpered and Frisk’s breathing hitched as the wrathe’s back arched in preparation to attack; Sans smirked as power and magic gathered in the mouths of his blasters and he was filled with determination.

His voice makes Frisk shiver, its cold and dead in a way that Frisk only remembers from distant memories, relieved that it’s not directed at her, “I think your going to have a bad time kid.”

The wrathe pounces, and bright light blinds them as Sans attacks and the wrathe gurgles and screams but doesn’t give up the attack.

Sans’s smirk widens, and his Gaster Blaster’s reappear even as other wrathe’s come from the forest at the cry of pain from their kin. Squeezing his hand into a fist, the Gaster Blaster’s fire again with a twang of magic, killing the first wrathe in a gurgling cry.

It’s pack trips over the bones that he’s summoned, and its easier yet to fire the Gaster Blasters again, “You pals look frustrated.” Sans easily says, his tone mocking, “Guess I’m really good at my job huh?” 

Their maws open again in a growl, fangs dripping with slime and Sans takes comfort in the Gaster Blasters that hum around him and his part of his family.

The Gaster Blaster’s growl with power, and Sans’s voice is just as cold, “Always wondered why people never use their strongest attack first.” His grin is just as cold, cruel, “Or, at least I used to.”

The Gaster Blaster’s fire as the creature’s hiss and snap, and they die with a gurgle of slime without touching Frisk’s school at Sans’s back.


	4. Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans sits in the rain.

Leaning back into the bench Sans relaxed with a soft sigh and smiled at the rain; the mage’s compound had a fun little secret at the back of the building that precious few knew about.

The front door came out to Mt. Ebott and their garage.

The back door however, came out to a porch with a tin roof that backed out into the other side of their property, giving the occupants a perfect view of the lake.

It was a grey, drizzly day with the rain switching from pouring hard to barley misting and back again. The kind of day that had most hiding away in their homes with a warm cup of something to keep them feeling toasty until the sun came back.

Normally, Sans would still be in bed on a day like this. Warm and content, and maybe he’d convince Lilith to play hookie with him and they’d lounge together in the safety of their bed. He would have, he really would have if not for one, little secret the back porch had.

The tin roof.

Sans would never admit to it, would never dream of letting his brother know anything about the fact that Sans loved to sit under the tin roof and listen to the rain against it. He had a reputation to uphold of course and caring enough to sit under the tin roof would have required the _effort _to get up to sit out here. Honestly, Sans didn’t want his brother to have a heart attack after all or get the wrong impression and think that he was doing things on his own. Without someone pushing him to do it.

Sans settled into the little wooden bench a little more comfortably, more of a slouch than anything, wriggling his toes into the worn fuzz of his slippers and the little heads of the misshaped lions moved with the movement. 

The wind is cool against his bones, but not biting or even as cold as it had been in Snowdin and the sound of rain hitting tin is soothing. It’s like white noise for his buzzing mind, and it gives him some time to think.

Looking at his hands, Sans tries not to feel the blood of the children he’s killed in the name of the Kingdom. Tries not to feel Frisk’s blood on his hands, hell he tries not to feel at all.

Lilith wants him to go to therapy. Says it would probably be good for him to do it, to work through some of his issues and he had plenty.

Whatever was bothering him on a day to day basis was luck of the draw; some days it was remembering what Chara did to him and her mocking, sometimes what Frisk did when Chara was wearing her skin and he can’t bear to be in the same room as her, and sometimes he remembers what Oliva did to him.

Today, he can literally feel the blood on his hands from the lives he took. When he believed in Asgore, and what he was doing was right.

It was a fucking joke, and it was his fault that those kids were dead, and nothing would bring them back.

Curing his hands into fists, Sans looks back out to the sopping wet grass and the dock in the lake that rocks violently as the wind picks up, and he shoves his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

He focuses on the sound of the rain on the tin roof and thinks that maybe Lilith is right about the whole therapy thing.


	5. Walking Dogs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans is nothing but amused by the mages version of walking dogs.

Sans perched in a tree and tried not too look amused as he watched his mate run through the forest with her brother at top speed, diving in and out of a trace at high speeds.

He snerked at them as Lilith leapt over a fallen tree, her feet barley brushing the bark before she was running hard, while Felix went around it, slipping a little in the mud from the earlier rain. The battle mage snarled as the mud slicked up his pants as he fell, skidding along the ground before he popped back up into a run. Sans watched them run hard in great amusement and took a short cut into another tree with a smirk. 

Lilith skidded to a stop, leaning into the nearest tree heavily, pressing her back into the harsh bark and panted hard. Felix tripped, and stopped next to her, doubling over with his hands pressed into his knees, gulping air deeply.

“This is fucking stupid.” Felix gasped, yellow eyes turning up to glower at his sister.

“Oh shut up.” She panted back, “We only drew the sort straw this month.”

“No.” Felix hissed, his eyes flashing a dark gold to glower at his sister, “_You_ drew the short straw. I’m just a fucking moron.”

Lilith smirked, still breathing hard, “Yeah well. Sunrise is only what? Twelve hours away?”

“We’ve been running for two!” Felix snapped at her, his throat raw like he’d been chewing on gravel and it made Lilith snort and smirk.

The near by howl dropped it from her face, and Felix growls, “Fuuuuuck.”

Sans smirks, sitting on a thick branch, his white eye lights glance into the distance to see a pack of looping figures that are too big to be real wolves. Their golden eyes turned towards them, and one lifted its head to sniff the air and howl.

From around them, others joined the course, singing to their brethren and Lilith sighs.

“The closest group has about four of them at your one o’clock.” Sans calls down to them, legs swinging merrily.” Lilith and Felix groan, “Better keep running Love.”

Lilith looked up at him to glare, and with a huff started to jog. Felix shot him a dirty look as well and in an out of place cheery voice called out, “Byyyyeee!” even as his face didn’t twitch.

Sans wiggled his fingers at Felix, “Better skip to it.”

Felix was gone after his sister, Sans chuckling after him. Glancing behind him he saw the pack of werewolves taring after his mate in a merry game of chase.

Dropping his chin into his hands, Sans chuckled a little. When Lilith had asked him to help her ‘walk the dogs’ he hadn’t been banking on acting as a sentry while his mate and her brother gave the local werewolf pack something to chase during the power of the full moon.

Eh well, it gave them all something to do for the night.

With a chuckle, Sans fell into another shortcut, staying just ahead of the werewolves.


	6. Falling Leaves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus enjoys the change of season.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had been out and about yesterday and missed posting this then. So double drabbles today! Enjoy

If there was one thing that had surprised the monsters after they reached the surface, it was how quickly everything changed.

And everything did change. All. The. Time.

It wasn’t always something bad, often change was for the better, something good! Something new and exciting at every turn.

Papyrus had been delighted when he had discovered that, as the year went on, the summer heat would fade into the cool fall weather, and the ice-cold drinks were forgotten in favor of something that would warm your very soul.

It had been when the leaves began to change color, that Papyrus had been in total _awe_.

Every warm color imaginable was bright and real in the treetops above them; the yellows and oranges and reds stunning him to silence, and all he wanted to do was stare at the colors. Colors that he had never seen in the underground, colors you wouldn’t see in the underground.

The only trees were cold and dead in Snowdin, maybe green if they clung to life tight enough to push through the lack of sunlight, but they were never like this.

Ryder dropped heavily onto the bench next to Papyrus, gently handing him a warm cup of apple cider and stretched his long legs out in front of him. Papyrus didn’t look up at the mage, didn’t break his focus on the bright colors above them of early autumn.

Ryder looked over at Papyrus, and his scared face pulled into a gentle smile, “Pretty huh?” his light eyes glancing over at the tall, thin skeleton with bright, smooth bones.

“Oh yes.” Papyrus’s voice was oddly hushed in his awe, his eyes wide and if Ryder looked hard enough, he could see soft orange magic gathering wetly under his sockets.

Ryder doesn’t mention it, keeps that to himself to protect Papyrus’s still easily wounded pride. 

“It’s so pretty.” He breaths softly, his hands tight around the little Styrofoam cup and he swallows thickly around his next words, “There’s nothing like this underground.”

Ryder kept his gaze on Papyrus, and his scared face soft, “Yeah. Nothing quite like it.” Although Ryder isn’t talking about the bright leaves over head.


	7. Pumpkin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undyne takes the kid and Alphys to a pumpkin patch.

Undyne took a deep, smooth breath, sighing out the warm, sweet October air. The hot cider in her hands steam softly, the liquid warming her very soul and her body all the way down to her toes.

Undyne’s bright yellow eye watches Alphys in the morning sun and smiles at her gentle smile. Alphys’s scale’s shine in the sun, sparkling such a bright yellow that was almost a gold. Her eyes are bright and sparkling, full of life in a way that she had never possessed underground and Undyne has never been more grateful than now that the mages fell into their lives.

Alphys is holding Frisk’s hand, its one of the rare days when all the mages are working on a weekend, keeping their home safe and it’s Undyne who’s watching the kid. She knows Papyrus is at his cooking lesson and Sans is off with Lilith doing something he doesn’t want to talk about.

Undyne frowns when she thinks about Sans and what happened underground, what Olivia did to him, but she quickly pushes the thought from her mind. Another time, another place she would talk about it and come to terms with what she witnessed. Coping, is what she thinks Sans called it.

She takes a mouthful of her warm drink and smiles at her lover and the kid that stole her heart, “Hey! You punks pick out a pumpkin yet?”

The smile that Alphys throws back to Undyne melts her heart and makes her want to swoon. Almost, but she’s got the kid to watch and the surface is still more dangerous then the underground was. Honestly, Undyne is still surprised that a wrathe never came through underground and killed them all.

Eh well, later, when they’re alone in their room Undyne will show Alphys how loved she is.

Until then…

Undyne smirked at the kid when Frisk pointed to a pumpkin that was easily three times her size, heavy and thick, the brightest orange that Undyne had ever seen. It would have been a struggle for anyone else to pick up that particular pumpkin, and if Undyne quietly basked in the beaming pride from the kid and her girlfriend when she tucked the pumpkin on her shoulder, well Undyne wasn’t going to tell that to anyone. 


	8. Graveyard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is not what Sans thought he'd be doing on the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moderate description of violence

The moon wasn’t full the night the mage attacked their Den. Barley a sliver of a thumb nail that hung weakly in the sky. Another night, and it would be gone, swallowed by the darkness of the sky.

It was cool still, not yet dipping into being cold, just warm enough to be comfortable.

Sans side stepped into a short cut only to appear slightly to the left as the stumbling, shambling body tripped over a gravestone. The thing groaned; his dead milky eyes unseeing as it stumbled with a gurgling groan as it came after Sans with up raised arms.

A sharp shard of bone shot up through the ground, impaling the thing through the eye with a soft noise of released fluid. With a sigh, Sans side stepped another one, easily hoping up onto a gravestone, and took a short cut to stand on top of another, sending another bone through the head of yet another.

Sans glanced at the sound of spinning blades, and he watched as one of the creatures was shoved backwards with a vicious kick and a desperate moan before Lilith’s blades took its head. She laughed, high and full of amusement as her blades sliced trough the guts of the thing, before she took its head.

Sans shook his head, falling backwards into another short cut so that he rolled easily over Felix’s back to land lightly on his feet on the soggy ground. With the flick of his wrist, two more bones shot up to pierce the eyes of two more things that came at Felix from behind as Lilith caught one of the other things around the throat, to spin it to the ground.

She put a blade through its head as coagulated blood smeared across her face, and she smirked as she shot back up to her feet with a sword neatly cutting one of the things in half.

Sans dodged more groping hands as another humanoid thing tripped over a gravestone, rot heavy in the air as more bones shot up, spearing three of them easily; one of which had been too close to Felix for comfort.

Felix turned, blood and gore smearing his face and hands as he managed to get one caught in a head lock with a frown, “Dude, are you kill stealing?”

Just behind Sans, Lola smashed the rotting head of a corpse in on itself and with a flash of green magic she smashed another thing into a tree with a shield.

Sans smiled, behind Felix, Sloan’s blue magic flashed through the night, haloing Felix in soft light, “Can you kill something that’s already dead?”

Felix frowned at him, shaking his head slowly at the smaller monster; the mages had all groaned at how unoriginal the necromancer had been to cast a spell on a near by graveyard, turning the freshest corpses into zombies.

Unoriginal, for sure. No one was arguing that, but the mages certainly had fun with a safe way to unleash their LV’s onto something that needed to be returned to the grave. Something that didn’t increase their own LV, after all, how do you get execution points with something that was already dead.

Lilith suddenly appeared next to them with a smirk, an arm wrapped gently around Sans’s shoulders, smearing the blood and gore onto his shirt; behind them, Undyne laughed as spears came up and through a small hoard of zombies.

“Slacking Felix?” she gave a small tsk, “I’m already up by four.”

“Ah, don’t be too hard on Felix,” Sans said suddenly, his eye-lights bright, “he’s _dead _on it.”

Felix gave him a flat, unimpressed look when Lilith laughed, “I thought he’d be jumping at the chance, not _rotting _on the side lines.”

“Of _corpse _he’s not, he’s just feeling _grey _is all.” Sans was far too amused at this, having far too much fun even as Ryder took three more zombies out with an easy pump of his shot gun.

“It’s _decay_, he’ll get the idea. It’s just _buried _deep inside.”

Sans laughed, “Two-pher huh?” Lilith looks too pleased with herself, and really Sans only has the option to up the game, “Well. Although Felix is feeling a little _stiff _about his zombie killing ability, he shouldn’t let these things get under his skin, it’ll be the _death _of him. We just have to focus on the _remains _of the problem.”

Lilith chuckled, her arm curling around his shoulders, and Sans felt warm at where she had anchored herself to him. He leaned back into her body despite the gore that covered her to nuzzle into the under part of her chin.

Felix glared at his sister and her mate before he tuned his back on them, lifted the heavy rifle in his hand and with five loud bangs, took five more of the creatures to the ground. The spent cartridges hadn’t stopped bouncing before he turned back to them with narrowed gold eyes, “I hate you both. Also, I’m up by one now.”

Lilith frowned at her brother and stuck her tongue out at him; her pale face covered in grime and blood, the pout she shot at him at odds with the evidence of the fight all over them.

Well, Sans’s couldn’t have that, now could he?

He lifted his control hand easily and the smallest Gaster Blaster that Sans could summon appeared over head much to Felix and Lilith’s shocked faces. There was a soft whine of magic before the shot went off in a white beam of magic, vaporizing the dozen or so zombies that were shambling amongst the tomb stones.

Felix glowered at them and Sans smirking face, “Think I’m up to a _corpses_ dozen.”

“SANS!” Papyrus yelled at him from behind, his orange magic bright in the gloom of the night, “STOP PUNNING WHEN WE ARE ZOMBIE HUNTING! IT’S RUDE AND YOUR PUNS ARE COLD!”

Lilith and Sans both blinked at Papyrus before they burst out laughing, and Lilith managed to gasp out, “_Like the dead?” _

That only had Lilith and Sans laughed harder, falling into each other heavily at their brother’s exasperation; even as they attracted the undead with their laughing.

Still laughing, Sans pulled Lilith tightly to his body, side stepping into a shot cut and reappearing behind them. Lilith swung out with a long, thin blade to slash through the rotting flesh of another zombie. Pulling Sans in just a tightly, Lilith spun them away as bones shot up through the ground where they had just been and into a small pocket of zombies.

She sat him up onto an old gravestone to bring them to the same height, pressing herself between his legs to press a small, bloody kiss to his mouth and Sans smirked into their gentle kiss.

Three sharp bones popped up at her back to protect her from the three approaching zombies as he reached up to cup her cheeks gently.

Sure, his life was weird now, different. Hell, he was hunting zombies in a graveyard with his Den, but it was to protect their territory. It was to protect their family, so Sans didn’t mind the extra work and if it helped calm Lilith’s LV, even better.

She broke their gentle kiss, her eyes bright crimson and excited, “Come on, we’ve almost got them all.” Then, she vaulted over the gravestone and with an expert swing of her sword cut through two more zombies.

Zombie hunter had never been on his top ten things he ever thought he’d ever do, but that’s what seemed to happen on the surface.

With a smirk, Sans allowed himself to fall backwards into a short cut, and after his mate.


	9. Haunted House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Felix walk home.

The walk home from the October fair was an unusually long one. It hadn’t taken them long to walk to the fair, and in turn it shouldn’t have taken any longer to come home.

Yet, as Sans walked next to Felix, the walk home seemed to take forever. Shame wafted from Felix in thick, heavy waves; his hands shoved into his pockets and his face pulled into a grim line of embarrassment.

Rolling his shoulders, Sans gave Felix a sympatric look before he smothered it quickly; Felix’s self view was all tied up in his ability to protect the Den, his ability to react to a threat and protect their family, and to have that questioned was a blow to his ego.

“Listen kid,” Sans started, keeping his tone even and smooth, showing no hint of disappointment or pity, “Everyone has a bad day, yeah?”

Gold eyes stayed on the ground, watching his shoes as they walked, and Sans huffed softly. Poor kid was taking this far harder then he should be, but it didn’t help that people around them had laughed when the magic attack faded back into gold smoke and bruised his ego.

“I’m sure that you aren’t the only mage to have this happen.” Sans told him, his grin a little weak at the edges as Felix pulled in on himself and his shoulders hunched up around his ears.

“No one got hurt Felix, it could’a been worse.” Sans offered; eye-lights dim, feeling a little helpless.

Felix huffed, his tone cold and clipped, “I put an axe through a mechanical monster in the haunted house maze.” He sounded bitter and hurt, feeling stupid and so full of shame.

It hadn’t helped that mages from another Den had seen it happen and had laughed. That big, bad War was afraid of a plastic spider that was an arm length away; his frightened, unprepared scream hadn’t helped, nor when he impaled his magically summoned axe into the plastic spider.

Felix had left after the experience, his brothers and sisters having no idea what had happened only that Felix was storming off with Sans at his heels.

“I could have hurt someone.” The mage said softly, his voice low and hurt, fear teasing at the edges of his tone. His throat was suddenly thick, “I could have killed someone.”

That there, that was the real reason Felix was upset; sure, he took a hit to his ego. His pride was a little dented and that was something Sans could deal with rather easily with a joke and some nice cream.

But this? This was a real insecurity, real hurt just below the surface and the fact was Felix saw himself as a monster. Saw only the demon that bound to his soul and not the good person he was. Always so afraid to talk to people outside of their Den, so afraid to hurt someone. To kill someone.

Lilith could take a hit, knew how to spar with Felix. Sloan was too quick for him, Ryder able to put Felix on his back. Lola, delicate looking Lola could lay him out without breaking a sweat, but someone outside of their family? Felix would never forgive himself if he hurt someone who didn’t know how to handle him.

Sans frowned and pressed his hand flat to Felix’s lower back as he gave a little sniffle, discreetly wiped at his eyes. He was blinking too hard, looking down and away from Sans in shame.

“I know kid, I know.” And really, there wasn’t much else Sans could think to say. 


	10. Hugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans gives Lola a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little late on this chapter. Work has been terrible this week and I was so drained, that I haven't really written a thing. But, enjoy!

Sans knows what its like to have bad days. Days when it doesn’t matter how hard you try, nothing you do is right. That no matter how hard you try, everything still goes wrong and at that point, what does it matter? Sans knows what its like when things seems so sad and grey, and the world is just too overwhelming.

Sans knows what it feels like, and what it looks like.

Even how the air tastes of sadness and dullness.

What Sans isn’t used to, is seeing this hurt and dullness in the eyes of the mages.

Stepping into the kitchen to get a drink, Sans freezes when he sees Lola quietly wiping the sparkling counter, the subtle droop to her shoulders and the lazy way she wiped at the surface telling Sans more then words would ever. Her eyes were dark and dull, her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and Sans wasn’t sure if she brushed it.

The lack of magic humming through her was the biggest tip off that Lola was upset about something. Hurt in some way that Sans likely couldn’t understand, a memory from the past likely weighing on her. The mages magic was often tied to their emotions; love, joy, happiness, rage, hate, fury could keep a mage on their feet even when their body was ready to give out.

Depression and anxiety could cripple a mage, driving a wedge between the mage and their magic. It left them helpless and disoriented, and Sans could only remember one time when Lilith had been over come with anxiety.

Right now, Sans couldn’t feel a drop of magic in Lola and the slouch in her shoulders told novels.

Sliding into a chair, Sans dropped his head into his hand, and he gave her a bright grin, “Heya kiddo. You doing okay?”

Lola’s shoulders stiffened, and she blew a slow breath out through her teeth. When she turned to Sans, her smile was fake and not the bright smile of a gentle kindness soul, “Great. I’m fine.”

“Mhmm.” Sans said not believing her in the least bit.

Her dark eyes stared into his soft eye-lights and his wide grin. Licking her lips, she quietly said as she took a seat next to Sans, “It’s fine Sans. I’m okay.”

Watching her for a moment longer, Sans sighed, “Look Lols, I don’t know what’s got ya down, but I get it.”

Her dark eyes slowly lowered to her clenched hands on the table and sighed. Her voice was quiet and small, “Do you?”

“In a way.” Sans shrugged, kicking his legs out under the table so they swung as a distraction, “I know what its like to be grey.” 

The dim smile fell into a grim, hard line that cut through her usually soft face like a knife and Sans could suddenly see her stepping into battle shoulder to shoulder with Lilith and Sloan. Digging deep for the hardness that required her to survive. Her fists unclenched long enough to cling together, and her mouth flickered into a bitter smile, “It’s pretty awful right? To feel so sad when we survived.”

Pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall in place, and Sans didn’t need to look hard to see what was eating at the shield maiden. Lilith sometimes talked about survivors’ guilt, sometimes still fell prey to it when she told Sans about the war and the friends they’d lost.

“I mean. We should be happy we lived right?” Lola continued, her voice small and watery, and Sans reached out to squeeze her elbow.

“I think it’s okay to feel sad sometimes.” His own voice matched her gentleness, feeling a little weird to be the one on the other end of this shitty equation. “It’s not like you’ve had all that much time to comprehend it all.” Not in comparison. Not to the sheer _years _of war to peace ratio so drastic.

Lola nods quietly, her eyes still downcast and dull, leaving Sans struggling with some way to comfort the mage. This whole comfort thing was hard, it was exhausting to know what to say or how to say it. It was easy with Lilith, it was easy to help her when he loved her so deeply, it was easy.

When she was sad and hurting, Sans would hold Lilith, his arms folded around her muscular body that was so full of power even when she was vulnerable. Heck, Sans had caught Ryder once curled into his brother when he was feeling poorly, and Papyrus buried his fingers into the dirty blonde hair to pet the mage.

A thought came to Sans than, that maybe the mages were just as touch starved as the rest of them. He sat up straighter and he opened his arms in an offer of a hug, “Lola? Do you want a hug?”

The mage lifted her head in disbelief, her eyes wide with surprise before they watered a little, “Yeah.”

Sans pulled her into a tight hug, boney and hard and folded his arms around Lola even as her breath hitched. Skeleton hugs weren’t always the most comfortable, but sometimes they were what was needed.


	11. Angst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Asgore have a very short conversation

Looking back on how his day played out, Sans isn’t entirely sure how he ended up where he was. If this had been a movie, this would be the beginning of a record scratch, the film would freeze frame and his voice would come over the picture with an intro that was something like ‘Yep. That’s me. I bet your wondering how I got here…’

Then the film would start with the events leading up to this moment and explain the how and why they were here.

As it was, this wasn’t a movie and Sans was certain that if he could have gone back, he simply wouldn’t have gotten out of bed at all to avoid this whole mess.

As it was, Sans was having tea with Asgore, the golden flower bitter in Sans’s opinion and he would have done some pretty terrible things to have sugar. Or to, you know, get the hell out of this situation and _not _be on his own talking to Asgore.

They were in the King’s apartment, small and quaint, and nothing like the luxury he would have had underground. The smaller home with a more comforting feel was something that the real Asgore appreciated, and not the front of the King. It was not something that Sans, as the Judge, would have expected to see Asgore in a place like this.

Even still, Sans was not happy to be here with cooling tea with the King, who was smiling pleasantly at him. Sans hadn’t had much to say to Asgore in a very long time, not since he had brought the boss monster the sixth human soul and he felt his own sins crawling up his back; he had felt just as dirty back then as he did now, and no amount of time was going to fix that.

The tea was cooling before him, and this wasn’t where Sans was supposed to be. He was supposed to be picking up Frisk from Asgore’s and take her home; neither he nor the mages had known that Frisk had gone with Asriel to the park with some of their little friends.

It had set Sans’s teeth on edge, making him feel uncertain and unease, knowing that his mate’s little sister was out playing with Asriel. Frisk didn’t know the truth, of course, few of them did know what Asriel had done to him when he had been Flowey, and he preferred it that way. Sans had been insistent that Frisk hadn’t known the truth, she was too young to know the reality and the horror of what had happened.

“Is your tea too hot Sans?” Asgore asked softly, his smile gentle as if they were old friend, “You don’t seem to be drinking any.” 

White eye-lights lifted to Asgore’s gentle expression and Sans felt his soul roil with a mixture of unease and anger. “It’s fine.” His tone was clipped and short, and Sans wished he could have phoned a friend. Anyone else to be here with him or better, instead of him.

Yet, he had promised to pick Frisk up and that was what he was going to do.

Asgore frowned, shifting nervously at the boarder lining hostile tone, “Are you alright Sans? You seem a little tense.” Sans offered Asgore a weak smile that was so hollow that anyone who knew him would have seen though it.

The silence between them was thick and heavy, and Asgore rushed to fill it, “Sans, I know we haven’t been friends in a very long time. But I would hope that you and I could start over. Be friends here on the surface.”

Sans felt his body freeze, and his smile slipped slowly off his face at Asgore’s words. He felt his soul clench and ache in pain at those easily said words, and Sans felt his teeth clank together so hard it hurt his skull.

“We were never friends.” Sans’s words were harsh and cold, slipping from between his teeth before he had the time to process what he had just said. “I was your executioner.”

Asgore’s face fell, pulling into a look of shock and hurt, “Sans. That. That’s not true.”

White eye-lights guttered out and Sans ground his teeth together, “Yes it was. You were too much of a coward to get blood on your hands, so you made me do it. You made me rank up the LV, you made me get my hands dirty so you wouldn’t have to. All for the betterment of monsterkind. That’s the lie you fed me, so I didn’t question murdering children. So, I would be your obedient little killer, and pretended that I didn’t feel shit when I scrubbed blood out from between my joints.”

He didn’t now where this sudden burst of anger came from or why it suddenly burned hotly in his soul, “My LV is higher then yours now, and you could have saved us all long before Frisk fell into the underground. You could have gone to the surface after the first one I brought you and saved us the wait. You could have saved me from dealing with the LV on my soul. Hell, I would have gone to the surface if you had only told the truth.”

Asgore’s face fell a little more with each word until he looked pained, “Sans. That’s not. You don’t understand. I only wanted what was best.”

“For yourself.” Sans hissed the accusation, “You didn’t want to go to the surface with a single soul and take the other six. You didn’t want to murder the humans that fell, you made me into a killer so you wouldn’t have to get your hands dirty. You left us to starve underground because you couldn’t bare the thought of killing. You declare war on a species that we would never win against and expected _us _to do the killing in your name.”

Asgore’s eyes were wide with shock and hurt, the bitterness within the skeletal monster enough to choke anyone. Sans licked his teeth, slow and deliberate, and so much anger bubbled brutally within his soul, and there was just so much anger that seeped from his bones.

Sans took a breath, slow and deep before he sat back in his chair, his body still tense for a fight. His eye-lights came back slowly, sharp, hard little pin pricks in the thick black nothingness of his skull, “So no, Asgore. We were never friends. We will never be friends. You took care of Undyne when she needed someone, and she’s Papyrus’s best friend. Frisk, who doesn’t know the truth, loves you, but I promise you Asgore. If push comes to shove, I will kill you to protect my family.”

Sans slouched lazily back into the chair, for all the world to see, the lazy little skeleton that had fallen in love with a battle mage.

Asgore opened his mouth, his own anger only beginning to brew when the door opened and Frisk skipped inside.

Anything that Asgore might have said was quickly cut off as Sans took a short cut to the kid, with his smile back across his mouth, “Have fun kiddo?” he asked easily, holding out his hand to Frisk.

The kid beamed at him, nodding happily as her little hands were a flutter of excitement, _“We played tag! You should come to the park with us next time.”_

“Maybe next time Frisk, come on, lets go. Lola should almost be done supper now.” Frisk’s little hand slapped happily into his, and she gave a merry wave to Asgore.

Sans gave Asgore one last hard look, his sockets blank and cold, before he side stepped into a short cut, taking Frisk home, leaving Asgore cold and angry in his quaint little kitchen.

He isn’t entirely sure what to make of Sans’s anger, but perhaps time is what has made Asgore forget what his Judge was actually like. 


	12. Sing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has breakfast with the Den

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is 'It's Alright' by Mother Mother.

Life on the surface took time to adjust to. So much was different, everything was different and sure, lots of monsters had a tough time adjusting. Sometimes even Papyrus had a tough time adjusting to the surface and just _how _much was up here.

Even still, no matter how much it was hard to adjust, how many bad days they had, Sans knew they were lucky. They were lucky they were found by a powerful but kind Den of mages that loved them. They were lucky to have the backing and support of the Pandora Den, and Sans doesn’t like to think what it would have been like without that support.

Or worse, if they were against them.

He wasn’t blind to the cruelty of humanity and knew that only inside the territory of their Den and their Coven were they truly safe. That the fairy tale folk that lived there, and the mages from near by Dens wouldn’t risk the wrath of the Pandora Den to make a play on their lives. That the humans within their territory were given two choices, adapt or leave. Laws in their territories were mandated for their protection, just like any other creature there and it had been a simple thing to include monsters into the laws that protect the other creatures on the surface.

Outside of mage territory? All bets were off. Protesters didn’t dare entre the mages territory, but they sure as hell caused a ruckus just outside of it, drawing the battle mages to the town lines where their territory ended to keep the peace. Mages from Dens within their Coven were also dispatched to assist with keeping the peace, as did the Valkyrie, and Sans had the chance to meet one of Lilith’s best friends.

A spunky Valkyrie by the name of Saja, who had long flowing black hair and had smooth, golden brown skin. She stood a full head over Lilith and Sloan, nearly as tall as Papyrus and had biceps that could rival Undyne’s. 

She had laughed with pure joy when she had seen Sloan and Lilith, pulling them into a hug that was tight enough that it cracked both of their spines and had made Sans wince at the noise. The mages had laughed, arms wrapping around their dear friend tightly and they told stories of the war, and the number of times they had saved each other. They remembered the dead fondly if not a little sadly.

Saja had been thrilled that Lilith had a mate, telling Sans it was about fucking time that Death had found someone to walk the path of life with. It was time to actually _live _now that the war was over.

She had found it hilarious that Death had fallen in love with a small skeletal man but had still been happy for her friend. Sans had felt better to know that Saja would have Lilith’s back when they went to keep the peace at the boarder between their territory and the human settlement that was demanding the death of the monsters.

Saja had laughed when Lola told her they were acting as peacekeepers, and there was only one option when people were calling for genocide. It made Sans shiver, knowing that if they marched to war again it would be because of them.

Today, however, the mages and Saja were home. Pulled from the boarder as tensions started to ease and younger mages and Valkyrie within their Covens were able to hold the line; the Coven leaders pointing out that sending the Pandora Den and their allies was a bit of over kill unless the conflict escalated. In truth, the Pandora Den being present would be seen as an escalation in any case, never mind that it was their territory.

Sans was happy to have them home, and things were starting to get back to normal now. Or, what was their new normal.

Coming into the kitchen, Sans could hear Felix singing, his voice soothing and deep, and Sans couldn’t help but feel grateful to hear it. It was a lesser known fact that Felix could sing and could sing well; an even lesser known fact was that Felix could get his family to sing with him when they were feeling safe.

The mages tended to sing every breakfast, one of the only meals that they all had together. Missions, patrols and even Frisk’s care often kept them away around dinner time, so breakfast was one of the only meals they all had together and thus was one of the most important.

This led to breakfasts being loud and boisterous, the small radio behind them playing the music that they sung along with while Lola and Ryder made breakfast.

“_Oh hey, I had a night, I had a day. I did one million stupid things__, I said one billion foolish things. I'm not okay, I got a baseball bat beside my bed, To fight off what's inside my head, To fight off what's behind my meds, I'm lonely, lost in pain.” _Felix sang softly, his eyes were dim with exhaustion and the song choice likely telling Sans more about how he was doing emotionally then any other tell, and it made Sans frown.

His eye-lights flicked to Lilith, but her face was just as grim, just as worried as his own. Something happened then, something was weighing on Felix and chewing at him. Sans could guess, could likely figure out what was pulling at Felix and knew how fragile his ego could be.

Instantly, Lilith, Slone and Saja started in next to him, as Sans took his seat next to his mate, “_It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay__. You're not a monster, just a human. And you made a few mistakes, It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay. You're not gruesome, just human. And you made a few mistakes. It's alright Ooh, it's okay. Ooh, it's alright, oh.” _

Felix’s mouth pulled into a brittle smile, singing on his own, _“Goddamn__, I throw a brick right through the window. My life ignored the signals. I'm high and drunk on ego, can't see straight, So I just feel my way around and. I'm touching and I'm grabbing. Everything I can't be havin'. I am broken down in shame” _

Sans may not know what happened at the boarder, and maybe he didn’t need to know. What he did know, was that something was bothering Felix, and that wasn’t okay by Sans.

It wasn’t often that Sans joined in with the singing, that was more Papyrus’s thing to join in and get the others into a louder rendition of whatever they were singing. Yet, seeing Felix’s down cast eyes and hurt sent a protective pang through Sans. This was his family now, and if this made Felix feel better or see himself as something other then a killer, than Sans would help too.

_“It's alright, It's okay, it's alright, it's okay_ _. You're not a demon, there's a reason. You behaved in that way. It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay, And I believe, yes I believe that you will see a better day. It's alright, Ooh, it's okay, Ooh, it's alright. Ooh” _

Felix looked up started at Sans’s deeper voice joined in, off pitch but there; it was rare for him to muster up enough energy to sing along as well, and something like tension seemed to bleed away from the battle mage. That made it worth it.

_“Ah-ah-ah-ah_ _, I don't wanna know who I am, Cause heaven only knows what I'll find. I don't wanna know I'm not capable, Of coming out alive, I don't wanna see what's inside. I think that I would rather be blind, I don't wanna know I'm not capable, I'm capable” _

Felix blinked at them, and slowly sang along with the Den, his magic settling as his voice joined in with the others; as did Lola’s and Ryder’s from the kitchen and Papyrus from the other side of the table.

_“I'm alright, I'm okay, I'm alright, I'm okay_ _. I'm not a monster, I'm a human, And I've made a few mistakes. I'm alright, I'm okay, I'm alright, I'm okay. I'm not gruesome, just human, And I've made a few. It's alright, It's okay, it's alright, it's okay. You're not a demon, there's a reason You behaved in that way. It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay. I believe, yes I believe that you will see a better day. It's alright (Ooh), It's okay (Ooh), It's alright (Ooh). And I believe, yes I believe that you will see a better day.”_

_ “It's alright” _


	13. Isolation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asriel gets to reap what he's sown.

The funny thing coming back from the dead, is that everyone else moved on. Sure, people remember you and will mourn you, but eventually they all move on.

Asriel sat sadly on the swing, his hands tight around the thick yellow rope that looped around the tree with a sad sigh. His little feet dug into the dirt, getting his green shoes covered in it as he pushed himself back and forth, and the course rope dug into the softness of his hands.

Everyone moved on, even his mum and dad. They had gone their separate ways, carved a new path for themselves, each one full of bitterness and lacked the love they once held for each other.

With a heavy sigh, Asriel tried to find the energy to swing a little harder, maybe even a little higher but lacked the energy. His borrowed soul throbbed unhappily, the kindness within trying to combat the hurt that never went away, and sometimes he longed for the days when he went by the name Flowey. When he didn’t have a soul and didn’t posses the capacity to care that he was so alone or feel bad for the horrible things he had done.

Glancing up, he almost smiled when he saw Frisk with Sans; his little friend hadn’t seen him yet and was giggling at something that her sister’s boyfriend was saying. Sans had her hand in his, his eye-lights soft and vulnerable with happiness that Asriel never got to see when Sans was aware he was around; Sans never let his guard down around Asriel, not even for a moment.

Sans was talking to her with animated movements and whatever he was saying had Frisk nearly doubling over and it made Asriel hurt.

Suddenly, Sans looked up, his eye-lights catching his soft green eyes and instantly his expression closed and became guarded. Asriel lifted his hand in a half wave, his smile shallow and nervous that fell at Sans’s hard look and sometimes Asriel could remember what if felt like to have tendrils pinning Sans down while Chara did horrible things to him. Bile rose at the back of Asriel’ throat, and not for the first time he wished he had made different choices. Lived a different life.

Stayed dead maybe.

His hand fell back to his lap as he watched Sans pull Frisk along past him, his eye-lights hard and angry, fading into the inky nothingness of his skull. It was something else to see Sans puff up in protective rage and hatred, putting himself between a threat and Frisk, to see that gaping maw of raw power open to give a glance was off putting.

Asriel hunched in on himself, watching Sans and Frisk walk by, Frisk not once noting when something was wrong, something so odd when the child was so bloody observant. 

Heaving a soft sigh, Asriel swung a little harder. Everyone moved on from his death, he only wish they would have moved on from his crimes just as easily.


	14. Underwater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has an anxiety attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for description of an anxiety attack.

Coming to the surface was a stressful endeavor for everybody involved. It was stressful for the monsters whose entire lives suddenly changed. It was stressful for the mages, who suddenly had an entire civilisation to protect and guard. It was stressful for the humans and fairy tale folk who lived in the mage’s territory, who suddenly had protesters and threats after just over eighty years of peace.

The entire transition was stressful for everyone, painful in some ways. Making their souls ache with how hard it could be sometimes.

Sometimes, it didn’t just hurt. Sometimes, it was like agony.

Sans couldn’t breath, no matter how hard he tried to take a deep breath it felt like someone was holding his head underwater. His throat felt tight, and he was shaking so hard he could hear his bones rattling over the static in his skull. A thin sheen of sweat dripped down his skull, getting into his sockets and they burned; he felt too hot, like he might be on fire and his soul roiled.

His LV bubbled hotly under his rib cage, making his head spin and he felt nauseous as he wanted to both fight the threat and run from it. Instead, all he could do was crumble, his arms wrapped tightly around his chest when his knees hit the ground and his eye-lights disappeared into the inky black of his sockets.

He couldn’t breath. He couldn’t catch his breath, and he swore he was going to dust. He felt hyper aware of his body, his bones burned as he tried to breath and his joints were bright with his panicked magic.

Gentle hands were on his shoulders, squeezing to keep him grounded and he could hear a voice talking to him, but he couldn’t hear the words. He felt familiar magic brush against him, deep magic full of violence and power; filled with affection for him.

He tried to focus on that magic, on that painfully soft voice, but he just can’t focus.

He can feel something on his face, and he thinks it’s a hand on his cheek, the brush of a thumb to wipe away the wetness from his face. Sans isn’t sure if he’s crying or if it’s just the magic that drips from his bones with sweat.

He felt boneless and weak as he fell limp, his skeletal hand grasping weakly at something, maybe a shirt, and his magic drained from his body as his anxiety ratcheted up. His body hurt, aching with stress as it locked up, his joints becoming stiff even as he trembled. He was pulled sideways against something solid, his head pillowed against something soft and something wrapped around his body to hold him.

Sans isn’t sure how long he’s caught in that horrible moment of not being able to breath, how long he trembled and stared a head with unseeing eyes. How still he became when his body gave into exhaustion, and black spots floated through his vision.

He wasn’t sure how long it took for his soul to stop racing and slow down, and he was able to take a deep breath, registering the voice over his head.

“I’ve got you. I’ve got you Sans, I’m right here. I’ve got you; I won’t let you go. I’m right here Sans, I’ve got you.” 

He blinked owlishly, trying to take in what he was seeing, where he was. They were on the floor of their kitchen, the glass of water he was getting smashed over the tile and the puddle spread wide. On the counter, a gift from Toriel, bright yellow flowers were mocking and happy.

Sans shivered and tried not to remember what it felt like when vines held him down and spread his body out like a child’s toy. He tried not to think about what it felt like to be helpless. Sans wasn’t helpless, he _wasn’t_.

“I’m right here Sans.” She whispered against his skull, soft lips brushing against the bone as Lilith whispered to him, “I’ve got you.”

Sans licked his teeth slowly, taking everything in, in small, slow increments, his voice rough even as he tried to catch his breath, “Evil mage?” it sounded like he had swallowed gravel, his voice petering out as he struggled to breath.

Lilith paused, her body shifting to look at his face and her usually cold face lit up at seeing the awareness in his eyes. Her hand landed softly along his jaw, her voice it’s usual monotone, but she spoke to him like a spooked animal, “Hey babe. You’re okay, but I need you to breath like me for a bit.”

She exaggerated her breathing, slow and deep, and Sans struggled to mimic her. It was a long time still before the shaking stopped, and his breathing came a little easier. It still hitched, and he gasped painfully for a long time against his date mates’ body. Her hand was soft at his spine as she stroked him, her other arm wrapped around the lower part of his body as he tried to mimic her slow breathing.

He let himself be held for a long time, until he was feeling strong enough to be guided to his feet. Only then did they take the bright yellow flowers and burn them in the back yard. 


	15. Heartbeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans isn't doing so well on the surface for those first few weeks, and sometimes sleep is hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look at this! Two drabbles in one night! I've been trying to catch up with my drabbles to end everything by Halloween, so this is a step towards that goal. 
> 
> Enjoy!

A kick to the back of her knee, that small soft spot that she used to drop opponents that were much larger then her is what jerked Lilith out of a dead sleep. She shot up in bed, taking a defensive position, magic sparking at her fingertips as she readied for a fight and cold acceptance settled into her soul; crimson magic filled her eyes, but her instinct was blessedly silent.

No threat she could sense, nothing near by that would do her harm and her instinct was never wrong. It made it easier to swallow back her building rage, it made it easier to shove her LV back into its tightly controlled box and she took deep, easy breaths to steady herself.

There was no one here trying to hurt her or Sans.

The crimson faded from her eyes slowly, leaving the room dark with only the waxy light from the growing moon outside their window. Another few days and it would be swollen and full, and it would be Sloan’s turn to be werewolf bait.

Heaving a deep breath, Lilith rubbed the sleep from her eyes, grumbling under her breath and it took her a moment to realize that it must have been Sans that woke her up. 

Lifting her head from her hands, she turned to give her mate her full attention and a frown pulled at her mouth.

Sans was curled into a ball, his teeth grit and his permanent smile was pained in his sleep. Tears were gathered under his closed lids, and his brow furrowed; magic sparked at his control hand as a Gaster Blaster shimmered in and out of view.

The weaponized creature looked _worried_ when it shimmered into existence, its own brows furrowed in concern for it’s conjuror and it whimpered at seeing Sans in distress.

Sans groaned, it was reedy and weak, and he grit his teeth hard enough Lilith was certain that he would taste dust in the morning. A whimper brought blue bones shooting up from around them, forcing Lilith to hold very, very still until they shimmered out of view. She took a deep breath and calmed her own rapidly beating heart. 

A bad nightmare then.

Lilith licked her lips, her stomach full of nervous butterflies and she was hoping she wasn’t about to get stabbed. It’s not like it would be the first time, but Sans always felt guilty when he attacked her out of a nightmare fueled panic attack.

Steeling herself and prepared to trace away, Lilith slithered back down into the sheets, her movements slow and over exaggerated, “Sans? Love, can you hear me?”

A groan was her response, and Sans made a sad little noise. Lilith bit her lip and wished that Sans would go to fucking therapy. He needed a good night’s sleep as much as she did, and after the war her own therapist had helped.

His breathing picked up, and Lilith fought back the uneasiness, refusing to be nervous of her bone friend. Her hand glided along his back, and she frowned at his small noise and flinch at the contact.

Pushing softness into her tone, Lilith hoped she was being reassuring, “Sans. It’s okay babe, your safe.”

His body seemed to respond that time, spasming towards her before he settled with a small, wet noise. That seemed to help, so Lilith did it again, and her hand glided back down his spine in soothing pets.

Lilith flexed her hand, and scooted a little closer to his trembling body, her hand gliding over his smooth bones, “S’okay.” Lilith’s voice is soft with sleep, “She can’t hurt you Sans.”

It takes time and effort, and with patience that Lilith didn’t know she possessed, she coaxed Sans into rolling over. She managed to get his head nestled against her chest, curled against her solid form with a thin, skeletal arm wrapped around her ribs in a crushing grip. His legs tangled with hers, and he tried to burrow into her as much as possible. The magic around them settled as Sans released it, and the tension from his body bled from him like blood from an open wound. 

His head rested against her chest, listening to her steady heartbeat within her rib cage, strong and real. Even in sleep it told Sans that he was safe and, on the surface, and he huffed a small breath, finally settling back against his mate.

Lilith pressed a kiss to his skull and settled back in to sleep. 


	16. Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans can smell blood. It's not what he expects. 
> 
> Humans are so weird.

If there was one thing that differed monsters to humans, even monsters to mages, was that some senses were far stronger in monsters. Eyesight was clearer, taste stronger and even smell was sharper.

Humans were stronger physically, that was undeniable. Their physical bodies made of flesh, blood and water could withstand things most monster couldn’t, but it quickly became apparent their senses were crap.

Smell especially was dull to them.

Which was why Sans froze when he came into the compound after a lazy morning of lounging by the lake with important plans to have a lazy afternoon lounging in the living room, and he could smell blood, heavy and pungent.

His body stiffened with fear as the coppery smell sat heavy in the air, making their usually warm kitchen feel cold and unforgiving. It brought back memories from the underground, of when Undyne had stabbed Lilith through the throat and his mate nearly bled out, her healing trait snatching her from death’s icy grip.

Sans knew Lilith could take a hit, could survive crippling, horrible, mutilating attacks and so long as her soul didn’t shatter, her trait would pull her from the brink and knit her broken body back together with frightening efficiency. It was horrifying to watch his mate stand up from a pool of her own blood, covered in it like a horror show and her eyes flooded black with the rage of her vice. He had seen that cold, cruel smile cut across her face like a knife, a smirk so cruel that is sucked all the light from her face so that even her silvery freckles seemed to disappear.

That’s when Sans knew someone was going to die. 

Sans knew that Lilith could take care of herself, as could her brothers and sister. Each one with traits that would keep them alive and well, each with abilities to beat the odds.

That knowledge brought little comfort to know when Sans could smell blood _in their home_. It was thick in the air, like a dense fog that made it hard to breath and Sans could taste it in the back of his throat.

Taking a breath, that clotting, metallic smell was so thick it was like he could taste it, and Sans forced himself to relax, his shoulders loosening as he summoned a sharpened bone. Just in case.

He took a step from his frozen spot in the back door, coming all the way inside and slowly closed the door behind him. He took slow, careful steps to ensure that his shoes didn’t squeeze on the flooring as he eased his way into their home. He stepped over the squeaky part of the floor, ready to attack at the first sight of trouble and find who ever was hurt.

Someone had to be hurt, they had to be. There was just no way someone wasn’t hurt, not with how thick the awful sweet-salty scent chocked him. There was just too much, it was too thick to be anything but someone being hurt.

Sans eased his way into the living room, stilling when he came into the dark room and the too bright flat screen TV was playing some B horror flick. Sans furrowed his brows, his eye-lights flashing in confusion, and he glanced around the room before his eyes fell to the back of the couch.

Someone was laying down, and they shifted so the couch squeaking with their movement and Sans tightened his grip on his bone construct. No one was supposed to be home besides him.

Frisk was in school; his brother was volunteering at one of the shelters that the mages funded and said mages all left this morning to see about business in their territory. It left Sans on his own in their home, taking precious hours to nap.

Magic hummed through him as he prepared to attack and his eye-lights faded into nothingness as his magic built within, his LV roiling with rage. He took a sharp breath, trying to swallow back the sharp metallic scent of blood and stepped around the couch, the bone construct tight in his hand, ready to stab someone with it.

Sans froze when he stepped around the couch to find Lilith curled in a tight ball, a hot water bottle pulled tightly to her middle with a heavy blanket wrapped around her body. His mate looked miserable, her usual pale face looking waxy and sickly, her eyes dim with exhaustion. Her mouth was pulled into a grim line of pain, her brows furrowed, and Lilith looked to be focusing on breathing.

Sans relaxed almost instantly, his shoulders loosening and the tension leaking from his body that left him feeling boneless. His magic drained away and the bone construct faded away, as Sans huffed a little sigh at the sight of his stunning mate.

“Heya evil mage, you doing okay?” he asked lightly, even as his worry for an intruder was slowly being replaced with worry and unease over his mate.

He could still smell blood.

Lilith’s dim eyes flickered over to him, slow and sluggish, and Sans worried all the more when Lilith lacked her usual spark.

“’M fine.” She muttered lowly, lazily looking back to the television, curing into her ball a little tighter.

Unease started to tip into nervousness as Sans took a step towards his mate, looking at her diminished form and if Sans didn’t know better, he would have guessed that she was in pain.

“Yeah?” he asked her slowly, “You’re not looking so hot there Evil mage.” His eye-lights faded back into existence, and he offered her a disarming smile, “You hurt?”

Lilith didn’t look at him but shook her head no even as her face was pinched in pain. Sans hummed, taking slow, even steps towards her, his hands slipping around her limbs and checking them for blood, “Yeah? Why can I smell blood then?”

Lilith glanced to him, looking surprised as his thin, skeletal hands glided around her ribs, coming away clean. “You can smell it?”

Sans’s hand dipped along her spine, his hand remaining smooth, gleaming bone and he frowned when it came away clean, “Yeah. Where are you hurt?” he asked again, the concern starting to bleed into his tone.

Lilith snorted, her hand reaching out to snake around his waist to pull him onto the couch and against her body; Lilith groaned in pain and cringed into his shoulder as she grit her teeth. Turing around to look at her, eyes wide with concern, Sans doesn’t hide his worry, “Are you in pain?”

Lilith gave him a little nod, her arms around him squeezing him almost uncomfortably as she winced, but even then Sans didn’t complain. His mage was in pain, she was hurting, and Sans didn’t know why, “What’s wrong?”

Lilith groaned, and flinched again, her hand spasming in Sans’s shirt. Alarm spiked through Sans’s soul, and he looked up at Lilith’s too pale face, “Lilith?” he was about ready to short cut to the school that Sloan was investigating for a poltergeist to bring her home. Lilith was in pain, a great deal of it if she was cringing at nothing.

“I’m okay.” She managed to grit out between clenched teeth, “It’s just my period.”

For a moment Sans’s mind screeched to a halt, struggling to remember what the hell that even meant before the lessons that Toriel had insisted upon came flooding back. One of those lessons had been on human reproduction and what happened when an egg inside a human was left unfertilized.

“Ohhh.” Sans hummed and Lilith made an unhappy noise as she cuddled back down into the blanket, “Can I get ya something evil mage?”

Lilith shook her head no, her face buried into Sans’s shoulder blades, “Just lay with me?” her voice was thin with pain.

Sans grinned and wriggled back into Lilith and settled in against his mate.

He had seen great holes torn into her body, had seen her lose a limb or nearly had, and walk away with little more then a wince and healing magic knitting her body back together. It was rare that Lilith succumbed to pain, her LV high enough that it dulled it and her adrenaline on the battlefield kept it at bay.

It was a rare, and frankly awful thing, to see Lilith in so much pain. To see the light in her eyes dulled with hurt that her body couldn’t combat was an awful, helpless feeling. So if it brought her comfort to burrow into him, who was Sans to say no to that.

“Sure Lil.” He gives her an easy smirk, “I’ve got a degree in napping, I’m sure I can show you a thing or two.”

Lilith smiled against his shoulder, burrowing deeper into the blankets and his body, trying to relax enough to sleep. It took time for his usually energetic mate to drift off to sleep, wincing and groaning in pain before her body gave into it’s need to sleep.

Even then, Sans could still smell the blood heavy in the air and a few times he felt bile raising in the back of his throat that he swallowed back. In her sleep, Lilith snuggled into his back, holding him tightly against her body, and only when she was deep in sleep did Sans pull out his cell phone to research pain relief that would help Lilith find relief for the next month.


	17. Cobwebs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans just wanted to spend time with his mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another little drabble while I catch up on my prompts list :)

They were sitting in a coffee shop, one of Lilith’s favorites to come to when her greatest fear was suddenly shoved into her face with no way out; effectively cornering her.

They had been drinking their coffee, happy and relaxed, both leaning into the table and leaning a little closer to each other then may have been acceptable in a public place when it happened. Lilith’s hand was in his, their fingers linked, and his thumb brushed at the heel of her hand.

They weren’t talking about anything in particular; sharing stories of their youth before war and resets had traumatized them when Lilith’s hand suddenly squeezed his tightly.

Sans could watch her panic happen in slow motion, like a horrible stop action movie as Lilith’s dark eyes widened and filled with crimson magic. He could see the set of her shoulders change into something more defensive, her jaw clenching tight enough that Sans would have been forgiven to think she’d crack a tooth. 

She became still like stone, and the only thing to indicate that she was _afraid_ was that the hitch in her breath and the aborted noise she made in the back of her throat.

Sans felt his own confusion rise, his brow furrowing as he turned to see Muffet stroll into the coffee shop, her overly massive spiderling, Cupcake, trotting along next to her as they got in line for a cup of coffee.

Oh. _Oh_ that’s not good.

Muffet hasn’t seen them yet, and Sans is gathering magic and getting ready to sidestep into a short cut, dragging Lilith home to put distance between his beloved mage and the thing she feared.

Fate seemed to be laughing at them; just as Sans was getting ready to jump into a short cut when Muffet turned around and smiled at them. The parts that made up her mouth widened into a smile, her fangs glistening in the sun that filtered though the window and Lilith made a small noise of fear. It was thin and quiet, and Sans only heard it because she was so close.

“Oh Sans!” Muffet gushed with a familiarity that was from years of being friends with benefits. “It’s so nice to see you again!” the nice thing about Muffet was that when he got together with the mage, she had been happy for him, because Sans was happy.

Even then, even if Muffet was his friend, if Lilith needed him to Sans would peace out of the coffee shop so fast, Muffet would question if he was there at all.

“You too Muff.” Sans said lightly, shifting himself so that he put himself between Muffet and Lilith a little more thoroughly, moving slowly so he didn’t draw attention to the fact he was putting himself between them, choosing Lilith.

Lilith is utterly still beside him, her hand tight in his own and Sans can hear her swallow as he makes idle chit chat with Muffet; he can feel the fear wafting from her in thick waves and can feel the magic between her fingers that sparks and shimmers through her.

Sans is hyper aware how tightly Lilith is clinging to her control, using every ounce of will power to stay still and seated, not automatically going on the attack as Sans and Muffet chat about how they are doing on the surface.

Muffet’s rough laugh makes Lilith flinch, drawing her eyes to the mage at Sans’s side and he can feel Lilith become impossibly more tense. Sans keeps his grin plastered to his face, and squeezes Lilith’s hand. He can feel her tremble, but he wouldn’t have known it to look at her.

“How are you Lilith? I hardly ever get to talk to you, you’re not afraid of me are you? Ahuhuu!” Sans stiffens at her words, seeing them for the veiled threat they could be and knowing that Lilith responds to threats only one way.

“I’m fine.” Sans is surprised how steady Lilith’s voice is, monotone as ever, smooth as though nothing is wrong, and it makes even Muffet frown, her fangs moving with a sudden insecurity.

Lilith tilts her head, and had Sans not been holding her hand with a death grip, he would never have guessed that she was shaking.

“Did you know, if you drop a tarantula from a small height, they’ll shatter and bleed to death.” Muffet takes a step back and the smile Lilith gives her is no nice, and it has Sans sighing inwardly.

Well, at least no one is bleeding yet.

“That’s…” Muffet’s voice is quiet, and she doesn’t know Lilith well enough to know if Lilith’s own words are just as much a threat. “Well Sans it was nice talking to you.”

“Yep. See ya Muff.”

They watched her leave without getting a coffee, and only when the doorbell rings to signal that she had left does Lilith relax; the tension bleeding out of her like an open wound.

“Sorry.” Lilith’s voice is small, her eyes full of shame at how she reacted. How she was hostile towards someone who probably didn’t need it.

Bringing her hand to his mouth, Sans drops a kiss to her knuckles, “Well. You didn’t go running and screaming from the place, so that’s something.”

Lilith snorts, rubbing her temple with her free hand, “Yeah, but I pretty sure I threatened her.”

“Eh. You win some, you lose some. Still didn’t go running and screaming. You even stood a whole foot from her and didn’t bolt.” Sans shrugs, his smirk widening.

Lilith shakes her head at him, but her eyes are still to bright with fear and her hand trembles. 

“Ready to go home evil mage?” He asks her lightly, his thumb brushing at the under side of her hand.

Lilith nods, suddenly looking relieved, “Yeah. That’d be good.”

Sans grins at her, his own soul easing a little, “Alright. I know a short cut.”


	18. Hot Cocoa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans brings Lilith some cocoa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers! 
> 
> I know this is a late one coming, but I was hit with a wave of inspiration for the last chapter of The Ninety-Fourth Time, and I rode that wave until it was done. The story has now been completed, and with an additional chapter! The first edit will probably happen tomorrow, but in the mean time, please enjoy this dabble. :)

When Sans steps out of the short cut and onto the street, he tries not to glance at the protesters across the road, tries not to read their brightly painted signs about how he should die and what an abomination he is.

Tries not to feel the violent intent from them, the cruelty and depravity that comes from them in thick, smog like waves. Sans is a low HP monster, he knows what violence looks like, and the screaming, snarling protesters are it. Sans isn’t even sure if he could _touch_ one of them without dusting from the sheer violent intent from them.

Hell, he probably shouldn’t even be here, too close to the violence and the fight that they are itching to start. Fuck, Sans is sure that if they could get their hands on him, they’d torture him on live television just to make a point.

Sans hangs on a little tighter to the thermos in his hands, feels the warmth from inside seep into his bones and tries not to look at them; the protesters are on one side of the bridge, a town called Hollindale that is budded right up to the edge of the mage’s territory in a town called Old Town, separated by a wide river and a single bridge.

Hollindale is the most anti-monster, anti-mage town near the mages territory and Old Town was one of the only towns this close to such hatred. The people of Old Town were very monster and mage friendly and had not taken kindly to the protests so close to their homes.

Neither had the Pandora Den or their Coven.

It was a riot waiting to happen, two very conflicting world views clashing, and everything was about to come to a boiling point. The only thing keeping the peace was the line of mages and Valkyrie that stood as a solid line between Old Town and Hollindale; being very careful to stay on the Old Town side of the bridge.

The protester’s screams got louder when they saw Sans walking smoothly behind the line, the soldiers young and inexperienced, but stood shoulder to shoulder with unwavering confidence. It allowed Sans to breath a little easier, and he refused to let his hands shake at their horrible words.

Not all of them wanted him dead, some wanted him for experimentation or worse, servitude. 

Sans tried to ignore them, he was here to bring Lilith and Felix this thermos of cocoa, and he wasn’t going to let these horrible people stop him.

Someone threw something at him, but a tall, dark hair mage stood solidly between them, the drink splashing over his chest plate and it had Sans turning to glare at the protesters, his eyes dark with anger. The mage signed, and silently shook his head at Sans. _This asshole’s not worth it. _Was the unspoken message. 

Nodding back, Sans got it, he did. He didn’t have to like it thought.

Instead he quickened his pace to find Lilith near the middle of the line, back a little bit as she, Felix and Saja looked at reports. For a bit, things had quieted down in Old Town, allowing the heavy hitters to return home, but the conflict had caught again. It forced Lilith and Felix back to the front line in order to hold the peace. It seems their names were enough to stop the riots from sparking again, and they were trying to figure out what had started this all again.

Sans sauntered up to the table where the three of them had their heads pulled down low as they all read a report from their captains. 

“So, your telling me,” Felix sounded furious, his words unusually clipped and cold, “That all this started from a fucking twitter post?”

Their young captain sighed, her blonde head nodding and her eyes were filled with light blue magic, “Yes sir. A known monster protester with pro-monster murder statements started tweeting again yesterday. He’s demanding that we release the monsters to humanity so they can be punished for their crimes.”

Lilith rolled her eyes so hard, Sans was sure she could see into the void, “What crimes? Being alive?”

The captain paled, “No ma’am. For the deaths of the children who died underground.”

Sans froze next to Lilith, and his mate’s eyes narrowed, and the ruby magic darkened into crimson, “What makes them think that?”

The captain shook her head, “Don’t know. Our people are still trying to track down the report.” 

Lilith nodded, glancing nervously to Felix before dismissing their captain. The blonde nodded, and quickly disappeared into the crown of other armored mages.

“Do we have a traitor?” Saja asked quietly, thumping the handle of her sword, her dark grey eyes squinting at the report as if the look would force it to tell her the truth.

Lilith shook her head as Felix snarled. The fact that people, _children_, died underground was a well-kept secret, “He could be bluffing.” Lilith said quietly, her eyes narrowing in as well, “We’ll get our people to look into this further. Find out where he’s getting this information from or if he’s just lying.”

Felix and Saja nodded, and Lilith turned to look at Sans. Back home, Sans would have seen those furious crimson orbs soften into love for him, but not now. Not here, out on the front, so close to protesters. Instead, Lilith’s brows furrowed, and she gave him a small frown, “Sans, you shouldn’t be here. It’s too dangerous.” 

Sans tried to give her a charming smile, but it didn’t ease her in anyway, “I know, sorry. Just wanted to give you this.” He held up the thermos for her to take with a grin.

A few of the mages and Valkyrie around slowed to not so discreetly watch; it made Felix smirk and Saja sigh softly about loving mates.

Lilith took the thermos, almost confused, “What is it?” and it reminded Sans that Lilith had never had an attentive boy friend before.

He grinned at her, “Cocoa. There’s enough for the three of you. It’s getting cold, so I thought you’d like the treat.” 

Saja sighed again, the massive warrior practically swooning over the sweetness of it all while Felix tried to hide his snerk with a cough.

Lilith stared at him for a moment before the ice from her eyes thawed a little and she gave Sans a small grin, “Ah love, that’s so sweet.” Then she bent to give him a gentle thank you kiss against his teeth, not once hesitating to show her affection in front of her Coven.

Around them the younger mages swooned, and cat called while Sans’s face went a soft blue, and behind the line the protesters howled at a show of public affection. Sans thought they could choke on it.

Sans didn’t mind thought, not when Lilith smiled at him so gently and the kiss a promise of more to come.


	19. Childhood Photograph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has only one photo left of Gaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Fire place is supposed to be next, but I'm at a loss for the prompt. So enjoy this drabble!

There wasn’t much that Sans had left from his childhood. Most of it had been destroyed or lost after his father fell into the core, and almost every piece of proof that his father had lived had faded away with his memory.

Sans was certain that he and maybe to a degree, Papyrus, remembered his dad. It was a shame, it truly was. Gaster had done amazing things for the underground, had helped stabilize them long enough for monster kind to escape the underground and he had deserved better.

Sans deserved to be able to talk to him without wanting to vomit, some kind of weird tick as the fabric of reality had been twisted. He had been a great scientist, but he’d been a better father, and Sans always hoped his dad was proud of him. Sans clung to his few memories, had known he lost his dad when he was too young, barley an adult and still too young to be taking care of his little brother.

Sans had lost a lot when Gaster fell into the core. He lost his _dad_, and Sans has missed him every day since he died. He clings to the memory of his dad’s love, knowing that Gaster had loved him and Papyrus more than anything else. More then everything else, and Sans is sure he would have loved Lilith.

Sans stared at the only picture to survive the purge that has his dad in it. Gaster had developed a material he had hoped would be enough to break the barrier, instead it did something _else_.

It with stood resets, and he made Sans a small box for the most precious of things.

Anything inside the box would remain untouched by time itself, whole despite what happened outside the world. Including this one photo.

Sans sighed longingly at the photo, his own young face beaming up at the camera as his dad held him. Papyrus was a tiny bundle of blankets in his own tiny arms, and Gaster couldn’t have been more proud; his long arms wrapped around Sans in a hug.

Frowning, Sans rubs at his forehead, and thinks about when the barrier broke and he had been so _certain_ his dad had been there. Right there, next to them but Sans must have been hallucinating. His dad was dead, his dust burned to nothing in the core and that was that.

“What’ca looking at love?” Lilith asked, dropping heavily onto the bed behind him, her head resting against his shoulder as she stretched out. Dark eyes glanced to the open box, picking up a photo to smile at Sans and Papyrus smiling up at her, Sans teaching his brother how to summon bones, “Aww, pictures.” She cooed happily with uncharacteristic softness.

“Heh. Yeah.” Sans leaned into his mate, pressing into her body to settle against her, grinning when she dropped a kiss to his cheek before she pressed her mouth to his shoulder, “This is my dad.” He told her suddenly, drawing dark eyes to the photo in his hands, “He’s. He’s dead but. This is the last photo I have of him.”

Lilith humm against his shoulder, looking at the photo and Sans felt her stiffen at his back. He heard her breathing hitch and he could sense terror coming from her in thick waves. Sans turned to look at her, her eyes wide and crimson as she clung to her magic desperately as utter terror filled her crimson orbs.

Sans felt his brow furrow as confusion bubbled, “Evil mage?”

She lifted a shaky hand, her fingers trembling as she pointed to Gaster and her words were small and full of terror, “Sans.” The tip of her finger pressed into the faded photo, “Sans that’s the monster that got me out of the void. He. He opened a portal.” Lilith’s memory of her time trapped in the void was shaky at best, but she spoke with such certainty that it made Sans freeze against her. “He opened a portal and he sent me home. He. He.”

The panic chocked her, her hand coming to her mouth to hide her shock and horror. Sans stared at her; his eye-lights gutted out in his shock, in utter shock.

“Sans, your dad got me out of the void.” She whispered to him.

He took her hand, and they stared at the photo while they both shook for a very, very long time.


	20. Full Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans is looking for something in the void. It's not been going well.

Sans heaved a soft sigh feeling the drag of magic form his soul as he dropped out of the shortcut, and into the room he shared with Lilith.

She was stretched out in their bed, leaning up against the headboard as she read a novel; her knee propped up, and the picture of relaxation.

Her darks eyes lifted from her book, her frown tugging her mouth down as she closed her book to give Sans her full amount, “How’d it go?”

Sans shrugs, falling into bed next to his mate with a miserable groan. Lilith frowned, tucking her book onto the nightstand with a soft sigh, “That good huh?”

Her hand was soft on his spine, soothing as she rubbed his back, pausing at his shoulder blades to run her thumb along the bone. Sans made another miserable noise, burying his face into the pillow that smelt like Lilith.

The mage gave a soft sigh, pushing herself off the bed to turn off the light, the light of the full moon shone into their room with soft glowing light. Her soft footsteps padded back to the bed, gently drawing Sans up to push his sweater from his shoulders to pull it off to leave him in a soft t-shirt.

She tilted his face up to her, her mouth soft on his to press a soft kiss to his teeth. Sighing into the kiss, Sans tries to let the stress and tension leak away but isn’t able to even when Lilith breaks the kiss and climbs into bed with him, “You’ll find him.” She said softly.

“I dunno.” He muttered as Lilith drew him down into the soft folds of the blankets, her arms around him to cuddle gently, “I’ve been in and out for days, and nothing.”

The moon light filtered through the blinds of their room, reflecting off Lilith’s pale skin and dark hair, it made his bones almost glow. The backs of her fingers where soft at his cheek and Sans leaned down for another kiss, “Don’t loose hope.” She told him between kisses, “You’ll find him.”

Sans sighed into their kiss and wasn’t sure if he believed her or held her hope, but he wanted to, “I dunno Evil mage. I thought I would have found something by now.”

Lilith nodded against him, nosing at his throat, pressing small kisses at his cervical vertebrae. Sans sighed at the soft pressure, leaning his head back to let her kiss at his bones, rolling over onto his back so Lilith could lean over him. Her heavier body weight pining him down.

He tried to forget about what Lilith had told him, that it was his dad that had gotten her out of the void. Tried to forget that his dad was alive, somehow, trapped the void, and no matter how much Sans had looked for him, hadn’t seen any trace of Gaster.

He was there, somewhere. He had to be.

For now, he tried to lose himself in his mate, in her soft kisses and sharp nips at his throat. The moon was heavy and swollen outside, and Sans relaxed when her hand brushed at the bones of his spine. 


	21. Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans begins to understand why Mario Kart can be a friendship ender.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little out of order, but this made me laugh. Anyone who has played Mario Kart on the N64 will understand.

There were somethings about the surface that Sans had a hard time getting used to. Space, resources, the number of people where just some of the things that made him a little uneasy. Yet, these seemed like reasonable things to get used to in those first, rough few weeks top side, things that were just different when it came to living above ground. These were things that Sans wasn’t the only one who had a hard time coping with. These were _normal_ thing to work through.

What Sans was witnessing now, was not one of those things.

It had been a quiet day with Lilith and Sloan, the sisters wanting to play a video game together, something they took up after the war and it seemed like such a normal thing to do. Such a harmless activity.

Sans had settled on the couch behind them, propped up on the side with a pillow, lounging to watch them play. With their back to him, he didn’t see the aggressive gleam in their eyes, didn't see the warning as they pulled an older model out to play with, didn’t understand what it meant when they said they were playing _Mario Kart_.

Sans learned quick enough, came to understand why Lola and Ryder and even Felix would put a stop to them pulling out a ‘N64’ and playing the classic game. He didn’t understand why nearly the entire Den would stand between the otherwise close battle mage and spell caster and refuse to let them play.

It had started out friendly enough, a little smack talk back and forth. Then a nudge here or there, that quickly escalated to slapping controllers out of each others’ hands. The insults got a little crueller, the snide remarks hitting a little closer to home.

By the time they hit ‘Rainbow Road’ the two mages were a step away from an all-out brawl; Sloan had the cord of her controller wrapped so tightly around Lilith’s throat, that the battle mage was going blue. Neither one stopped, and they played on as Sloan tried to murder Lilith over a video game, _with _a video game. Even as she struggled, Sloan moved with the weakening tugging of her controller and even yet, Lilith was winning.

Sans’s eye-lights guttered out as his mate wheezed a laugh, causing Sloan to snarl as her sister continued to win the match.

“What’s wrong Sloan?” Lilith wheezed, barley able to breath, “Still can’t fucking win?”

Sloan’s eyes flashed blue and Lilith’s flashed crimson, and Sans sighed. Nope, this wasn’t happening. Sans’s cracked soul ached as he reached for his own magic, turning their soul’s blue with a merry little _ting_.

The mages cried out as Sans pined them both down with blue magic, both of their characters wobbled on the TV and spun off the rainbow track. Sans shook his head at their cries of dismay, and Sans pushed himself up to his feet, not entirely sure when he had become the adult in this situation. 

He unwrapped Sloan’s cord from around Lilith’s throat, and with a shake of his head, moved to turn the game off. Two fully grown mages, saw what was about to happen and their dismayed cries, their begging him not to, their promise to be good, were promptly ignored.

Their howls of anger made Sans smirk as he unplugged the N64 from the TV, taking it to hide in Ryder’s room. It suddenly made sense why the massive mage had hidden the console in the first place, and Sans was firmly on the others side in this matter. 

Sans ignored their pleas to bring it back and hid the console some place he hoped they wouldn’t find it so easily.


	22. Decorating for Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans gets a little lesson on Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Total fluff. I changed the prompt from Bara to Decorating for Halloween since Bara wouldn't fit the story. 
> 
> Enjoy

Stretching out on the lounge chair, Sans adjusted his sunglasses as he watched Frisk hand Papyrus another stake to hold the foam tomb stone into the front yard of the mage compound. He stretched out on the white plastic chair, his coke still had ice cubes clinking merrily in his glass and it was just warm enough for condensation to drip down the side of the glass.

The sun was warm and bright, a last drag of warmth that clung to the fall as they days got shorter, and the nights cooler. The mages said that is would be winter soon, and honestly Sans didn’t get why Felix would laugh and say _winter is coming_ but he didn’t worry too much about it. It wasn’t like he hadn’t grown up in an endless winter.

Sighing softly, Sans stretches out further on his chair like a cat basking in the sun and allowed his eyes to slide shut. He enjoyed the warmth, the sunlight warm on his glossy bones and it was almost too cool to only be wearing his white t-shirt. Another week, maybe two, and he wouldn’t be able to be outside without a hoodie.

For now, Sans enjoyed the sun until a shadow ghosted over his skull. Smirking, Sans pressed into Lilith’s hands when they landed softly at his shoulders, and he titled his head up when she leaned over him and pressed a kiss to his mouth.

“Heya Evil mage.” He sighed softly into her mouth, “Have you come baring blood?”

Lilith laughed, the bags at her feet rustled and at least two of them were filled with jugs of fake blood, “Enough for the test run, Paps wants to make a blood fountain for Halloween.” Sans turned her soul blue with a gentle _ting _and drew her down to the chair and into his arms.

Laughing again, Lilith pressed into his hands, cuddling into him with a sigh. “Doesn’t this seem like a bit much?” he asked nuzzling into her throat.

“For Halloween?” she asked, confusion leaking into her voice, “Of course not. This is easily the best holiday next to Christmas.”

Sans wrapped his arms around his mate, leaning back to look at Frisk and Papyrus laughing as they strung up a massive, rubber spider into the tree that would drop down when trick or treaters would walk under it. Shaking his head, Sans settled behind Lilith, his head pressing into her shoulder, “Yeah? Why’s that? I didn’t think you’d be into this fake spooky stuff.”

Pressing back into him, Lilith hummed, “Well sure. It’s fun now but it wasn’t always.”

“How’s that Evil mage?” 

Turning to look at him over her shoulder, Lilith’s grin grew slowly, and her eyes sparkled with delight and Sans couldn’t help but be enamoured with his mate. Damn, she was so cool.

Lifting his hand to her mouth, Lilith pressed a kiss to the bones of his hand, “All hallows eve, is the night that the barriers between worlds is at its thinnest. When ghosts, goblins and ghouls can roam our realm without fear. When weird things happen, and everyone chalks it up to it being _Halloween_. When, we can pretend to be something we’re not, and roam with the creatures of the undead and pretend to be one of them. When everything’s just a little spooky.”

Sans laughed, “Lilith, I didn’t see you as being so superstitious. You don’t actually believe, that do you?”

Lilith pushed herself out of his arms to turn and smirk at him, “Sans. You’re a monster and I’m a mage.” She pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing, “Why _don’t _you believe it.”

And, alright, maybe she did have a point.

Sans chuckled and nuzzled into the under part of her chin, “Alright, maybe you do have a point. I might have a bit of a spook factor, but why’d you want to pretend to be something different. I love you just the way you are.”

Lilith blinked at him and her face went red with embarrassment, making Sans grin. His mate’s confident and its not often he gets to make her blush, and it’s such a pretty color on her. With a grin, Sans leans up to kiss her, tasting her blush and swallowing her laughter.

Grinning into their kiss, Sans is certain that it wouldn’t take much to convince Lilith to play some Halloween pranks.


	23. Fire Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're safe, so long as the fire doesn't go out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I finally came up with something for this prompt :D

Papyrus’s hand squeezed around Sans’s and he gave his brother a reassuring smile. He hoped that it brought Papyrus a measure of comfort, even as he squeezed Frisk to his chest, the young mage clinging to his soft t-shirt.

Next to his brother, Undyne had her arm around Alphys and squeezed her mate a little tighter every time there was a howl of wind and the clatter of hail against the window.

He flinched at the _click-clack _of a pump action shot gun at their back, and Sans risks a glance over the couch they have all been clustered on to see the Battle Mages loading more weaponry; they have summoned their armor and weapons, but one can’t be too careful.

The modern weapons shimmer with their magic, powerful enough to render even a magically charged creature helpless. Lilith and Felix are looking grim, whispering in hushed voices that are cold and their bodies are tense.

Ryder has his rifle with the scope by the big window that Lola has put shield over. They could get out, but nothing could get in.

“So long we keep the fire alive, they can’t get in.” Sloan says softly for only their benefit. Outside the mist is gathering thickly, and Sans sees shapes moving just beyond. Sloan is kneeing before the fire, fingers moving slowly over it to feed it magic, ruins dance around her and she shines a soft azure, “They can’t hurt us, so long as the fire stays alive.”

Sans nods even as Frisk gives a small sob into Papyrus’s chest. They don’t know what’s beyond the mist, its something old and powerful. Something even the mages and dragons hesitate to tangle with.

“Will the others be safe?” Papyrus asks, even as his voice sounds thick with fear, “From these things?”

Sloan never takes her eyes from the fire in their fireplace, even when it’s sweltering hot, “Yes. We ensured to visit al the monsters and gave each of them a small amount of dragon fire and taught them how to protect themselves. So long as they listened to our instructions, they will be fine.” The magic flashed blue, flush with power, “the citizens of Ebott have lived trough the mist before.”

Sans jumped when a hand slapped against the outside of the window, the screech of a fleshy hand pulling along the glass, before nails tapped against the surface. The window shimmered green, and Sloan poured more magic into the fire.

The fire wouldn’t go out, Sans had no doubt. Whatever was in the fog was no match for these mages, even if they were nervous.

Frisk sobbed again, and Sans’s white eye lights glanced to his mate’s sister with a frown.

He glanced around the room, before asking, “Knock, Knock?”

Sloan didn’t flinch, her soft chanting over the fire never stopped as she poured more power into the flame. Papyrus gave him a sideways glare, but it was Lilith’s cold voice by the door to the library that called back softly, “Whose there?”

Sans grinned, “A little old lady.” Nothing about mist, nothing about monsters they can’t see out in the dark, nothing about their possible deaths.

“A little old lady who?”

“Evil mage, I didn’t know you could yodel.” Sans grins over the back of the couch, and the terrible joke brings the flash of a grin to Lilith’s face and Felix smirks.

“Knock, Knock?” this time, Papyrus sighs but it brings Frisk’s terrified face from his ribs.

“Whose there?” Felix asks this time, his voice rough likes he’s been chewing on gravel.

“Etch.”

When Felix smirks, his smile is sharp and his eyes are cold, “Etch who?”

Sans grins, his eye-lights are bright, “Bless you.”

“Oh my god Sans. That’s awful.” Papyrus scolds, but there’s a smile hidden in those words.

The battle mages relax a little, despite being so ready to fight, so Sans keeps going.

“Knock, Knock.”

Felix’s mouth opens to ask, ‘who’s there’, when a gurgling voice from beyond the window calls out, “_Who’s there?_” It sounds like wind over water, a gurgling ripple that speaks of power and violence. There’s a sharp rap on the window, like claws drumming.

Everyone freezes, eyes wide and mouths falling open; everyone’s eyes fall to Sans.

He can feel sweat gather at his forehead and his eye-lights gutter out. He squeezes Papyrus’s hand very hard and takes comfort when he squeezes back. Sloan’s chanting is soft and doesn’t stutter even once.

Sans jumps when Lilith’s hand falls to his shoulder, giving him a soft squeeze, her voice is soft and cold, and the crimson in her eyes tell him more of her fear then anything else, “Sans?”

His mate is afraid, but he has the chance to do something to make her safe. He gives her a little nod and swallows hard, “Robin.” He calls out, his voice shakes a little.

The same, gravelly voice calls back, “_Robin who?” _

“R-robin you! Hand over the cash!”

There’s a moment when everyone holds their breath, waiting for something to happen. Anything, and its so tense Sans is sure that Lilith and Felix will pull a muscle.

Then, the laughter from outside the window is gurgling and deep and seems to come from all around the house at once. Creepy as it was, the Den relaxes with a soft sigh.

The tapping is back, clacking of nails on the window, and Undyne leans over to nudge Sans, “Give them another one!” she hisses at him through clenched teeth.

Sans gives her a nervous laugh, “Knock, Knock?”

The eldritch god’s gurgling voice calls back, “_Who’s there?_”

“Tank.” Sans feels a little more confident now, and Lilith slowly relaxing a little behind him as Felix joins her at Sans’s back. The battle mages are still tense and battle ready, and Sans feels better to feel the heat from their bodies so close.

“_Tank who?_”

“Your welcome!” Sans calls back cheerily, drawing another gurgling laugh.

Some of the tension leaks from the room, but Sloan’s soft chanting never once gives up and her hands move over the flames to feed them power.

Sans thinks about what joke to tell next, what will make the creature outside laugh when two heavy knocks hammer against the door of the library. The wood only held because of Lola’s shield spell, but the battle mage’s spin to face the door, their shot guns pulled tight to their shoulders as to not break their collar bones.

Sans tries not to think about how his brother’s hand is trembling in his, or how his own soul pulses in anxiety. He knows the battle mages will fight tooth and nail to protect them, and Sloan won’t let the fire go out.

No matter how close they are, they can’t get in so long as the fire burns.

He tries not to let his voice shake when he calls out, “Who-who’s there?”


	24. Bad Habit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans knows he should quit smoking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for smoking?

Breathing in deeply, Sans feels his chest fill with acidic smoke, thick and heavy that burns at his magic. It’s soothing in a way, helps unknot some tension from his bones, helps ease some of the anxiety even if it leaves his teeth tasting like tar and nicotine.

Leaning back into the bench under the tin roof, Sans stares at the cigarette between his fingers with a frown, flicking the ash so it blew away in the wind. His ribs ached as he took another deep drag, the cherry flaring brightly in the cool fall wind.

The days was getting cooler now, the promise of winter a gentle kiss on his bones and he knows soon enough he will have to bundle up to get his nicotine fix. He never asked the mages to smoke in their house, he just went outside, and to smoke inside just seemed rude.

His brother would tut at him disapprovingly when he went outside and Frisk would frown at him, but Lilith would never say a thing. She got it, to a degree. She knew what it was like to have anxiety and LV clawing at your soul, and if a smoke helped sooth his soul, she wouldn’t tell him to stop.

So long as she didn’t find out what it did to his HP at least.

Pulling out a mirror so he could see his chest, were his soul would normally hoover if he summoned it and did a check on himself.

_Sans: The Judge_

_LV: 10_

_HP: 4.75/5_

_AT: 80 _

_DF: 90_

The numbers flashed back up at him from the make up mirror, and Sans frowned. Lilith had been thrilled when his HP had gone up two more points since coming to the surface. Sans took a deep drag from his cigarette and watched his HP drop.

_4.70/5_

_4.68/5_

_4.65/5 _

Dismissing the check, Sans exhales softly and smoke pools from between his teeth. He knows he should quit, knows that Lilith will pitch a fit and sick Papyrus on him if she knew that every time he smoked his HP dropped. She wouldn’t care that it would come back up, she would hate the idea that it dropped his very delicate HP. 

Yet, quitting was hard. It hurt to quit, his anxiety would spike, and his soul would ache. It was better to keep that to himself for now, just don’t let her know that it hurt him.

He’d find a way to quit, would probably take up another bad habit in its place, but hopefully he would find one that didn’t put a dent in his HP. He took another deep drag and relished the feeling of smoke swirling in his rib cage.

His HP took another small hit, and Sans knew he’d find something else to take its place. For now, he enjoyed his hit of nicotine and hoped it would linger a little longer.


	25. Working the Nightshift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans just wanted to see Lilith, not cause a murder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: a fairly graphic description of a vampire being murdered. The tags have been updated.

Stepping out of the short cut, Sans buries the thought that the caste was literally the most clique thing he had seen in ages. There’s cobweb that hang from the ceiling and the corners of the room, the carpet is moth eaten and the floors squeak under his convers.

Sans cringes. The other vampire coven that lived in their territory were far more modern than the coven that had just moved into the mage territory. They seemed to have a tough time understanding that the mages run the show here, and the peace negotiations were slow going. 

True, the mages could have destroyed the coven. They really could have.

They were just trying to not start another war. Walking slowly, his steps nonchalant, Sans made his way through the dark, dank hall to the meeting room. The vampires thought that they were trying to not start a war, Sans knew they were trying to prevent a massacre.

The vampires would never stand a chance, even if their coven leaders were blinded by their power and thought they could tangle with the Pandora Den.

Coming around the corner, Sans sauntered in with a grin, feeling relieved to see Sloan’s back as she sat in the chair, Felix and Lilith on either side of her. Both were poised to strike, ready to fight should they make a move at their spell caster.

On the same side of the table, Sans can see Mark, the young vampire leader of the coven that lives in the mage’s territory. The other coven leader, Ackley, was smirking with such smugness that it made even Sans want to slap the look off his face. His second and third at his sides were no better, just as smug.

Ackley thought he and his coven were better than everyone else in the room, and had little respect for his Den. He had less respect for Mark. 

“Lady Sloan. Enough is enough, my coven have never needed to ask _permission _to feed before and we do not intend to start now.” Ackley’s voice had Sans cringing internally.

“This is not permission.” Mark hissed, his claws digging into the wood of Achley’s table, “It is the law. We do not hunt those who do not sign up on the registry and we do not kill.”

Achley rolled his blood red eyes, huffing in annoyance, “And it is foolish to consider that we be _fed_.”

“And you are a guest here!” Mark hisses back, his own red eyes flashing in anger as he bared his fangs.

Sans rolled his eyes, coming to stand beside Lilith. Her eyes flash down to him, and there’s a ghost of a grin on her mouth, and her fingers brush at his shoulder. It had been so long since he got to see her, the mages have been working overtime to find someway for the other coven to live in their territory in peace. It meant Lilith was working long nights with Sloan and Felix and sleeping all day.

It meant that Sans hadn’t seen his mate in far too long, and if he had to steal moments like this too see her then he would. He was partially hidden by Sloan and Mark, so the next time Lilith’s eyes drifted down to him, he pulled a face; crossing his eye-lights and stuck his tongue out at her.

Lilith bit down at the inside of her cheeks to stop from laughing, and she fought the smile. He grinned up at her, his smirk wide and shit eating he knew, which only got wider when Lilith fought to smile back at him.

“What, in creations name, is that?” Achley’s sharp voice echoed through the room, dropping Lilith’s almost smile as she turned to glower at him.

Sloan and Mark glanced over the back of their chairs to look at Sans, Sloan giving him a small smile. “This is Sans, a monster that lives in our territory.” Sloan told him lightly, intending to get back to the negotiations.

San stepped out fully from behind Sloan, coming between her and Mark, and gave a polite nod to Achley. He may not like the guy, but he wasn’t going to jeopardize peace talks by being a brat.

Red eyes narrowing, Achley sneered, “What is that abomination doing in my home?” the grin fell from Sans’s mouth and Lilith stiffened next to him.

Her eyes narrow and her lips curled into a sneer, and Felix snarled next to her. Sloan sat a little straighter in her seat, and Sans knew the subtle aggressive ques that were the precursors to Sloan attacking; dark magic crackled at her fingers, and she leaned forward ever so slightly to better launch herself over the table for an attack.

Sans felt a light of sheen of sweat gather at his skull as violent magic gathered around the three mages and Mark slouched in his chair.

“Sans is one of ours.” Sloan said coldly, her tone leaving no room for argument and was a warning in of itself, “And he is welcome where we are.”

Achley sneered, “These monsters should have died underground. They are nothing but scum and should be slaves if we must keep them.” Those cold, red eyes focused on Sans with such hatred that it made him cringe inward. The smirk was cruel, “This one would look pretty in chains, don’t you think?”

Shock hit Sans before the anger flooded him, and his eye-lights gutted. He clenched his hands into fists as anger flashed though his damaged soul, but he held his tongue. He didn’t want to fuck up the mage’s peace talks. He could handle a little bit of bullying by a slime ball, and he wasn’t going to allow cruel words hurt him.

The crimson drill shot up from under the table, spraying everyone in wooden shards and through Achley’s stomach. The vampire cried out, blood pouring from his mouth as he stared in horror at his stomach and the magic that went through him; his second and third jumped away, their chairs falling backwards as they scrambled away, and Mark gasped in shock. Sloan watched on with gentle amusement, her fingers delicately tenting over the table. 

Felix laughed, cold and cruel at Lilith’s side and when Sans looked down, could see the crimson magic spready out from her feet and under the table. It glowed brightly with her fury and Lilith’s eyes flooded black with it.

Lilith’s head tilted, her face as cold as ice that didn’t know her gathering fury like her magic did. Her voice was devoid if emotion, “I would be careful how you speak about my mate.”

Then she smirked and the drill began to spin upward, going through his chair. Achley screamed as the drill pushed upward and through his guts, taring through flesh and bone, the sharp point of the drill pushing through him easily and the base going through him just as readily.

His second and third were frozen in shock as blood and gore sprayed at them as the hole in Achley’s stomach spread up to his chest, and the magic pulverized his ribs and spine before it tore through his heart.

He made a wheezing noise as his heart was destroyed and crumbled to dust; Lilith didn’t dismiss her magic, simply left the drill through his chair, the blood and gore spreading out everywhere.

Hissing a breath from between clenched teeth, Sans relaxed next to his mate when he felt the EXP settle in her soul. She took it in stride, pumping more magic into the magic spread across the floor so that it spread up the wall and all the way out to the second and third who were staring at her in shock.

“Well.” Sloan said lightly, ignoring the horror from the vampires around them. “I didn’t think that I would have to explain that _battle_ mages are violently protective of the Den and more so of their mates.” Sans took a breath and relaxed next to Lilith.

He glanced up to her cold face, and grinned. Sans maybe willing tolerate cruel words, but the mages weren’t and took Achley’s comment as a threat.

“But the question is, does your coven share the same feelings as Achley did?” Sloan’s head tilted, her own eyes flooding pitch black as her vice, _viciousness _flooded her, “Because if they do, this will become a vampire hunt, not peace talks.”

The second swallowed hard, looking at the bloody mess and dust that was left of Achley, and took a slow seat back down. She was nervous, pushing her blonde hair from her face she tried not to let her voice shake, “N-no. We. We. We want peace.”

Sans grinned back at her. He doesn’t like it when people are afraid of his mate and Den, but ah well. When someone starts talking slavery of monster kinds, really a drill through the chest is the only option.

Settling at Sloan’s side, Sans relaxes next to the mages. Sloan’s eyes dim back to azure, and her smile is cruel, “Good choice. Now. The registry.”

Sans had only wanted to see his mate, not cause a murder but if it helped move talks along, oh well. Maybe tomorrow night Lilith would get to stay home and sleep in their bed. 


	26. Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans brings flowers to a grave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Refers to chapter 15 in The Ninety-Fourth Time, but in a very vague sense. Nothing graphic but I want readers to be aware.

Stepping out of a short cut, Sans takes a moment to enjoy the sunlight, tilting his face up into the warm rays. It helped centre his soul and brought him a measure of calm. He needed it, for what he was about to do.

With a sigh Sans makes his way through the graveyard, winding around the tomb stones, smiling and waving at the ground’s keepers. They smile back and give a wave to him, they weren’t frightened by a skeleton wandering around the cemetery, especially after he had helped the Den fight off a hoard of zombies not all that long ago.

They remembered things like that, and they were grateful.

The forest nymph smiled at him as he passed the mausoleum, her ivy dress as bright a green as the flowers she was nurturing, and Sans returned her smile and wave.

It had been _weird_ when they had discovered that humans and fairy tale folk all seemed to bury their dead. Had had been creepy at first, to know that under his feet the dead lay. Weirder still to think that they had been above the monsters when they had been trapped under the mountain. 

Yet, Sans had reasoned, no more or less weird then sprinkling the dust of their dead onto the thing they loved most.

Walking to the newer part of the cemetery, Sans came to a small area that had been dedicate to the monsters who hadn’t made it to the surface. Those who passed before the barrier had been broken, and never had the chance to feel the sun on their faces, or taste freedom. Their names etched into large, solid black monoliths, the glossy surface recently cleaned and shone.

Too many died, too many good monsters and Sans tries not to feel guilty for surviving.

He walks by the names of those who are remembered, those names he tried not to remember and how many friends he’d lost before the mages fell. He walks all the way to the end, to the last stone structure that stood tall above him.

He’s searching for a specific name, and when he finds it, he isn’t sure how to feel. In the glossy black stone, Oliva’s name looks back at him from the stone, and Sans feels his soul clench. Frist it’s grief, she _had _been his friend, but that grief is quickly drowned by anger. Deep, burning anger that makes his soul boil with rage. It’s the kind of anger that makes him want to take a bone to the monolith and scrape her fucking name off.

Instead, Sans swallows his fury and places the bouquet of anemone at the base of the monolith, his mouth pulled into a thin line of anger. The flowers were petty and had been Lola’s suggestion when he had been trying to be discreet and ask her what flowers to bring. This wasn’t the kind of thing that he could ask Lilith, Felix or Sloan for help with. If they had found out that Toriel had put Oliva’s name on the memorial, they would probably destroy the whole fucking thing and pay for a new one.

Honestly, Sans didn’t want the drama and it was better to just let this sleeping dog lay; but Lola was a safe bet for _petty _revenge, and she hadn’t let him down.

Flowers had meaning, all of them. He had brought Lilith an orchid, which was supposed to mean ‘I will love you always’. He brought Sloan snap dragons, which symbolized strength. Lola got daisy’s, which symbolized cheerfulness. Gladolus for Ryder, it meant strength of character and white heather for Felix, which meant protection.

Flowers had meaning, and that meaning had power and anemone signified _forsaken_.

White-eye lights looked back up at Oliva’s name and he sneered, “You lost.” His voice was cold, “You tried to break me, and you failed.”

Birds sang over head and the sounds of people moving about the cemetery could be heard, but it didn’t warm the ice in Sans’s soul, “You thought you could hurt me, but I’m the one here and your dead.” Nothing but the ambient noise met him, and Sans took a breath to cool himself, “I hate you. I’m glad your dead.” He looked down at his shoes, “You lost, and I’m going to have a good life. I hate you, and I hope your burning in hell for what you did.”

Sans looked down at the flowers, feeing a little hallow inside, a little bitter at the memories she had left behind, “Fuck you.”

Sans stepped backwards into the shortcut and into the mage’s kitchen. Lola was making breakfast and Lilith was humming along with the radio. She smiled when she looked up at him, and Sans felt his soul warm.

Oliva was dead, and Sans wouldn’t think about her again. He smiled back at his mate and allowed himself to be drawn into a tight hug and a brief kiss and felt warmth flow back into his soul.


	27. Scary Movie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Den watches scary movies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for description of a slasher flick

Friday nights were all night movie nights and honestly Sans looked forward to movie night more then anything else. There was a different theme every Friday night, and there were only three rules to movie night; unless the world was in danger of ending, you didn’t miss it, the theme of the night was chosen by a new person each week and no spoilers.

Fairly easy rules, and since coming to the surface they had been treated to, space invader movies, Disney princesses, B-horror flicks, romcoms, anything with ghosts, cheesy comedies, and real-life dramas.

As Halloween creeped closer and closer, the movie topics grew towards that theme and creepier titles were chosen, and this week was classic horror flicks.

Sans snorted from his spot on the couch; Lilith had the corner of the couch, a bowl of pop corn at her elbow as she munched idly, Sans’s head in her lap, and if she wasn’t munching on pop corn she was lightly tracing his ribs with her licked clean fingers.

Felix was at his feet, Frisk squashed into his side, unfazed as some creep in a hockey mask splattered some helpless kid on screen and the main character screamed. Frisk yawned, and Sans grinned; kid was tough as nails.

Ryder lounged back against the couch where Sans lay against his mate and Papyrus had made himself comfortable in the larger mage’s lap, a bowl of pop corn munched on by the pair of them. Sans had been happy that his brother had maybe found someone? At least someone who was kind to him if they hadn’t made it official yet.

Sloan was curled on a bean bag, a bowl of M&Ms with Popcorn in her lap, her grin wide and entertained by the movie.

It was Lola, on Ryder’s other side, squished between her brother and Undyne with her knees pulled up to her chest and watching the movie from between her fingers. Her voice was thick with fear as she tried to make herself as small as possible as she whispered, “Noooo don’t go in there! _Don’t, don’t, don’t!” _

Everyone jumped as the dude in the hockey mask leapt through the window with a chain saw to take out another of the characters; Lola gasped, a shield shimmering around her as her magic reacted to her fear.

Felix snickered, and Frisk punched his leg, giving him a dirty look. The battle mage didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed, grinning as he took another handful of popcorn.

Sans smirked at their antics, and relaxed into the couch cushions, enjoying the heat of his mate’s body under his skull and her fingers on his chest.

The movie played on, getting more reactions out of Lola, making her jump and cringe and in one memorable moment, shriek, when Felix had reached out to touch her shoulder. The shield snapped around Lola again, and Frisk had slapped his thigh again with all the power a kid could.

When the credits rolled, they were laughing at how silly the whole thing was and the battle mages argued over who could have killed hockey masked villain first and how they’d have done it.

Lola suddenly straightened up, her fear gone and her smile as bright as any of them, “That was so good! Felix, put on the next one!” she declared with a cheer that only Lola could have. 

Felix paused from arguing with his sister over who would have been able to kill Jason faster, (it would have been Lilith if anyone bothered to ask Sans, but they hadn’t) to blink at his sister, “Uhh. I’m behind all of you and have Frisk on me. You change it, you’re closer.”

“It’s your turn.” Lilith helpfully pointed out, settling a little deeper into the cushion with Sans, her smirk wide.

“Still behind everyone else.” Felix nearly pouts, if battle mages did such a thing, and settled in a little deeper, “Lola, change it.”

“Nope,” and Lola is taking the bowl of popcorn from Lilith to refill her own empty bowl, giving back the half full bowl back to her sister. “It’s your turn Felix.”

Sans can see a younger brother being a brat for the sake of being a brat form a mile away, and Felix’s body language screams childish stubbornness. Welp, might as well help keep the peace.

Sans lifts his control hand, and there is a merry _ting_ as he grabs Felix’s soul with blue magic and pulls _up_. Felix can barley gasp as his body flings up towards the ceiling, his arms and legs flailing helplessly like a small animal being lifted up before he’s dropped back to the floor in front of the TV.

Popping up to his feet, Felix glowered at Sans and his shit eating grin, and Sans waggled his fingers at his mate’s brother while the others chuckled. Huffing, Felix shakes his head, “That is cheating.” He mutters as he turns to change the film, pulling out one Blue Ray for another.

“Well, that depends on your point of view. I’m just helping you along.” Sans says mildly and can feel Lilith giggle next to him even as she tries to swallow it. 

Felix glares at Sans over his shoulder and sticks his tongue out at him. Sans laughed at him, retuning the immature action.

“Lola.” Papyrus sounds almost hesitant, like he isn’t sure he should be asking this, “If you are so afraid of scary movies, why are you watching them?”

The mages fall silent, and there’s a sudden tenseness in the set all their shoulders. When Lola looks at him, its with a frown and a softness in her eyes that the others simply don’t possess any longer.

“Because.” Lola’s voice is hesitant, carful in a way that makes Sans’s soul ache. Whatever this was, someone had mocked her for it, that was the only reasonable explanation for that kind of hesitation, “How else am I supposed to feel it?”

Undyne’s face pulls into confusion, and Papyrus blinked at her, his words slow, “Come again?”

“Well.” Lola is sitting up straighter now, her chest puffing out and Felix sighs as he finishes changing the movie over and steps over Sloan. He curls into the corner of the couch, and almost looks ashamed, “I’ve been in a war for well over three hundred years. I’ve seen friends and allies and loved ones suffer and perish. We’ve fought zombies, and vampires, wraths and dragons. In war, in a life like ours we don’t have the luxury of being afraid.”

She glances to the other mages in the room, before adding quietly, “Our LV’s are so high, its hard to feel things. It can be easy to be numb all the time, and. I dunno, it’s part of the experience of life to be scared, and if I can do it safely with a movie, why not?”

Blinking at her, Papyrus nods slowly, “So. You don’t feel afraid anymore?”

Lola shrugged and Ryder gave a teeter totter hand movement to indicate so-so.

“Not really.” Lilith is frowning at the TV, her fingers soft at Sans’s ribs but he can feel how stiff she is.

“Takes a lot to make us afraid.” Sloan added, then she settled back into her bean bag, “Lets start the movie.”

She’s deflecting, they can all see it, and Lola is reaching out to turn the movie on when Undyne asks, “What about you Felix? Can you feel fear?”

Lola cringes and Sloan sighs as Felix goes stone still and looks at his hands. His body is stiff and hunched, when he answers, “No.” ashamed, yup he can feel that and Sans can see it from his end of the couch, “I don’t feel much.” He admitted, nothing good at least, not easily and the demons face flashes over his face, “But I’m not entirely human so.” And he trails off quietly.

The room is quiet, painfully so, and Lola clears her throat, “So, the movie.”

Slowly, everyone’s attention goes back to the screen and not Felix’s mental state. Sans glances at him, worried about the kid and knows that out of all the mages, Felix got the shit end of every stick for a long time.

Yet, his family was unafraid, and Frisk doesn’t hesitate to climb into his lap. She squeezes around his chest with all the might of an actual kid and Felix relaxes a little. He hugs her back, and Sans relaxes when he hears him mutter, “Thank kid.”

They were an odd little family, but they had each other and Sans wouldn’t have it any other way. 


	28. Sorry, We're Closed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a tragedy, Sloan reflects on how different life is outside of war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! Finally got this one hammered out. I had a really hard time with this one, and have been struggling with ideas for the last five prompts that was not expected. 
> 
> I had been thinking for this one, all through The Ninety-Fourth Time the mages spoke of their reputation but not of how they got it. So this is a little glimpse into their mindsets when they are feeling threatened.

Sloan stood in front of the bakery with narrowed eyes and a scowl.

Magic crackled around her, aggressive and agitated, and a sure sign of the spell caster’s true wrath under the veneer of annoyance. Runes appeared and disappeared around her as instinct called for her to summon spells. _Violent Spells. _Deadly spells.

She took a breath, calmed her broiling LV and the anger in her soul, focusing on _one _spell. A certain type of Rune danced around her, around her wrists and fingers, her delicate limbs gently dancing discreetly as to not draw attention.

Her eyes narrowed on the smoldering remains of the bakery, of _Muffet’s _bakery.

Around them was a silent sort of chaos; the police kept the shocked lookie-loos back while the fire department investigated on the cause of the fire.

Sloan was certain the Molotov cock-tale that had been found unlit on the sidewalk was a pretty good indication as to what happened, and although the fire department agreed they had a process they had to follow and follow it they shall.

They can’t feel the intent that seems to have seeped into the concrete around them, can’t feel the violence and need to hurt like the mages can and it’s probably for the best. It already has Lilith and Felix on edge, Sloan as well, no need for the humans to be as well. No need for them to feel the hatred those who had done this had for the monsters. 

Sloan’s azure eyes, full of her magic and power, glanced down to the bottle and any residue by who held it last shimmered back up at her as magic surrounded the bottle.

To her left, Papyrus had his arm around Muffet tightly while she sobbed heavily into her hands. Sans was at her other side, awkwardly patting her shoulder as the skeleton brothers tried to comfort her. Asgore was speaking softly with the media, a good spokes man to show how disappointed they were all with what transpired here, a sympathetic face when the mages would have only been able to muster rage. 

The tracking spell suddenly shot off into the sky, a light flash of blue before it disappeared into the blue, blue sky and Sloan would know who did this within the hour.

Behind her, Lilith and Felix shift, full of the same anxious energy that baying dogs have just before they’re left off their leash. Bright orange and deep crimson survey the area looking for a treat, especially with Sans so close to the scene; their heavy armor summoned, and they wear it like it weighs nothing.

Any threat would only be met with one answer with Lilith’s mate so close, and everyone knows it. Only a fool would have stuck around.

Sighing softly, Sloan fights the feeling of nostalgia in the worse kind of way. This was a little how war felt like, pacing battle mages waiting for the fight to start. Ready to put themselves in harms way and do violent things to protect their own, to protect everyone who lived within their territory. Lilith would protect even Muffet, even if the monster unnerved the battle mage. It wasn’t Muffet’s fault and Lilith was not holding it against her.

There’s a moment that Sloan longs for the simplicity of war. If there was a threat, someone who acted out on those cruel impulses, it was met with only a violent response, and blood needing to be washed out of clothing. War was simple, real life was hard.

The people who did this deserved to be brought to justice, just not the kind that wold sooth their agitated LVs. 

The detective assigned to their case steps smoothly next to Sloan, splaying empty hands to the battle mages; she knows how to greet them when they have been riled, and knows that this is still their territory and some thing still come with a death sentence. Harming a Den mate was one of those things, especially when their control was held together with a thin line of patience.

Lilith and Felix nod to her, and she knows that she can come near Sloan, knows she has been accepted into the fold.

“Lady Sloan.” The Detective’s voice is rough, almost friendly with the spell caster.

“Detective Diaz.” Despite the anger, Sloan’s voice is soothing and calm. Her usual musical tone unchanged by her emotions, “A shame that we always meet like this.”

Detective Diaz’s mouth pulls into a thin line, and Sloan can see the women’s own rage, and Sloan takes comfort in that fact. In the fact that the Detective is as furious as they are, and Sloan knows that _this _Detective will take this seriously.

Her dark eye’s glance to the glowing bottle at Sloan’s feet, and there’s an almost smirk that curls around her lips, “How long before you have them?”

Sloan grins and it cut across her face like a knife with how sharp it is, “Not long.”

“Good.” Diaz’s voice was just as hard as any battle mage’s, “I’m charging them with a hate crime. I’m not tolerating this bull shit.”

From the crowed side walk they watch as two being, a small human women and a tall orc women walk boldly to Muffet, and Sloan recognizes them instantly as owners of the shop on either side of Muffet’s bakery; the human a butcher and the orc a grocer with the best produce in town.

Sloan can feel Lilith stiffen at her back, can feel her sister track the two other women as they make their way to Muffet. She relaxes, only a little, when they speak in hushed voices and give Muffet the bag they were carrying between the two of them.

Muffet sobs a little harder and throws all her arms around her neighbours as Papyrus quietly takes the bags of groceries.

Some of the fury unwinds from Sloan, and she can feel Lilith and Felix edge away from the killing edge behind her. “That would be for the best.” Sloan’s voice is cool, “Sans and Papyrus like to come visit Muffet’s quiet a bit. Although the damage to the building is extensive, we are fortunate that the attack occurred at night and no one was hurt. Or killed.”

Sloan watched as the people in her territory rallied around Muffet, and she knew they would take care of her. Yes, insurance would pay for the damages, the mages would ensure that Muffet was cared for until she was back on her feet. Yet, so would the community.

“This would be a very different story, had someone been harmed.” Sloan said quietly, and any hostility was swallowed as she watched Muffet take the groceries from Papyrus, smiling for the first time since finding out her bakery had been burned to the ground. 


	29. Sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Papyrus chat after a hard day.

Glancing to his brother, Sans gives him a tired frown.

No matter how tired Sans was, Papyrus always looked just as tired if not more so and it made Sans’s soul ache to see his brother so weary, just as exhausted as his mate.

The surface wasn’t the fairy tale they had all hoped it would have been, even if the fairy tale folk were right out of their childhood stories, it wasn’t what they had all hoped it would be.

It wasn’t the sanctuary they had been promised.

Yet, there were good spot. Warmth and golden happiness that made all the shit worth it.

The protesters tended to stay out of their territory, the mages reputation keeping them away and Sans avoided them if he could. Lilith was like a duck in the water, their hatred washed off her like water beading off feathers.

She glowered coldly in such a way that made most humans shy away and Felix smirked at them wide and sharp, daring them to make a move.

The battle mages wash the anger off like its nothing, they wear their own fury like another set of armor that no protester had yet thought to cross.

Papyrus however…

Papyrus wanted to help, had asked Lilith what he could do to help make their lives better, so with Sloan’s help he became an ambassador. Sans didn’t understand half of what he did, he had been more concerned about his safety and protection, and was grateful that Lilith took it as serious as Sans did.

Ryder took Papyrus’s protection more seriously then Lilith did, and his hulking presence always at Papyrus’s back when they were out of territory. Sans took comfort in that as well, knowing that Ryder would start war for his brother and their Den would join him in one.

It still didn’t help right now.

Papyrus sighed softly, sadly and he seemed to sink lower in on himself.

The sun was only starting to set, casting Ebott into darkness and from the mountain top it looked like the town had been swallowed up by the shadow of the mountain; the exit to the underground was at their backs and it served as a reminder.

Hesitantly, Sans lay a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “S’okay bro.” he said gently, “Don’t let them get to ya.”

Papyrus was good at his job. He was, even if Sans didn’t get exactly what he was doing, Sans knew he was good at it. Everyone knew it, everyone said so.

Only, somethings got to his brother.

“They laughed at me.” Papyrus said softly, hurt and sad in a way he didn’t dare show in the meeting, “The Durhem leaders. They laughed when I suggested the rights for monsters in their territories.”

Sans sighed and nodded, sliding a little closer to his brother to rub his back, giving him the space to talk.

“Felix tried to tell me that they were terrible people. That. It wasn’t worth trying to reach out to them, that they are cruel and cold.” Papyrus gave a little sniffle, and that small noise made Sans’s soul broil, “I know the Durhem are were Felix’s parents were from, and I know they did horrible things to him. I only…wanted peace.”

“I know bro.” Sans said quietly, and swallows back his own irritation. Papyrus doesn’t need his anger right now, maybe later.

Papyrus gives another sniffle and wiped at his eyes with a gloved hand, “Is it bad that I wasn’t upset when Felix punched him in the nose?”

Snorting, Sans’s grin grows, “Nah. I think that say more about Felix then you.” His grin has taken on a crueller edge, “besides bro. I think Lilith made her _point_.”

“Oh my god Sans!” his brother suddenly straightened up, his tears mostly gone in favor of his own annoyance, “That isn’t funny!”

Sans grinned at his brothers growing smile, “Yeah? Why you laughing then?” 

“I’m not!” Papyrus snapped despite how his smile grew and he laughed.

Sans couldn’t help his own grin, not with the way his face was built but seeing how his brother smiled and laughed warmed his soul, “You are!” he playfully accused.

“Sans,” Papyrus scolding was lessened by his snicker, “your mate buried her short blade into the wall next to his head.”

“See, my girl’s sharp like that.”

Rolling his eyes, Papyrus sighed, “Sans!” he shook his head at his older brother, “She missed him by centimetres.”

“What can I say, her aim is _on point_.”

“You used that one twice brother, your getting rusty.”

Sans hummed, tapping his chin, “Maaaaaybe. But the context was different, so I say it’s fair.” He shrugged and gave his brother a nudge.

He thanked his lucky stars that Papyrus smiled and nudged him back, grateful that his mate was there to have his brothers back. Evil mage was so cool.

They watched the sun set and the cool breeze that kissed their bones promised the coming of winter.

“It’ll go better next time Paps. You’ll see.”

Papyrus paused and smiled at his brother, “Do you really think so?”

Sans grinned, “’Course bro. You’re visiting the council of fairies next week, right?”

His brother hesitated and seemed to deflate, scratching at his arm his voice was hesitant, “Yes.”

Sans nodded, “They’ll listen to you.” He reassures his brother, his smirk growing larger, “Besides, if they don’t, they’ll get to see how on _point_ Lilith’s aim really is.”

Papyrus groaned again, but his shoulders loosened, and the tension unknotted from his body. Sans knew his brother would be okay, he was a good ambassador and was doing his best to help spread peace for all monster kind.

Still, knowing that Lilith, Felix and Ryder were always with him soothed his soul.

After all, Lilith never missed a target. 


	30. On the Surface

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans enjoys watching the mage's train, especially when it all goes to the lake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little fluffy drabble :)

Sitting on top of the mage’s compound, Sans leans back onto his hands as they press into the rough surface of the flat roof and he kicks his legs out in front of himself, so they dangle over nothingness. Leaning back, he watches the clouds and tries to figure out if that fluffy blob was a bunny or poodle.

His head tilted one way, and he hummed. Maybe it was a snowman. Hard to say for certain.

Laughter, like the sound of bells drew his gaze downwards and Sans smiled; below him the mages were out for their morning training session, and Sloan’s musical laughter rang from her as the spell caster watched Lilith shove Felix back into the ice-cold lake.

Undyne is out with them, and she’s laughing too, her voice rough and loud.

Felix’s head bobs up from the water, and even though he’s yelling obscenities at Lilith, his smirk is wide, and Sans knows he’s planning his revenge on his sister already.

The green shield that slams into Lilith sends her tumbling into the cold water with him is a shock but it has Felix crowing in victory. Lilith surfaces, glaring at her sister and Lola waggles her fingers at Lilith, only to shriek herself when Ryder’s thick arms wrap around his little sister and throws them sideways into the lake. Sloan and Undyne are laughing so hard that they can barley breath, doubling over and gasping for breath at Ryder’s sacrifice that took Lola down with him.

Already, the shield maiden is pulling herself out of the cold lake, her cloths heavy and soggy, her voice two or three octaves higher as she traced to the compound, shouting _cold, cold, cold! _

She barely makes it to the door before Undyne is throwing herself into the lake with the others, laughing as she is unbothered by the icy water.

Sloan looks over her shoulder just in time to see Papyrus bolting for her as well, and with a shriek of laughter, traces over the water and only a gravity spell keeping her floating above the cold lake.

Papyrus doesn’t slow and throws himself in with the others with a laugh. It’s the distraction that Felix and Lilith need to create a united front to push themselves out of the water to break through Sloan’s spell to grab at her ankles.

The spell caster doesn’t get the chance to gasp as her brother and sister pull her in with them, but she’s laughing and cursing them when she surfaces.

Sans smiles at the training session that has gone off the rails and turned into an impromptu pool party in a stupidly cold lake.

His family are dangerous and deadly. Vicious mages full of fury and brutality, a spitefulness that sometimes stunned him, and yet they were the biggest dorks Sans had ever met.

And they were his family, and no one was going to take them from him.


	31. Face Paint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans helps Frisk get ready for Halloween

Sans catches his summoned tongue between his teeth as he oh so carefully added the smallest amount of black paint to Frisk’s grinning face.

Leaning back, Sans’s head tilts one way, then the other to make sure the sides are even. With a nod, he leans back in with a different brush to blend the black into her cheek, turning it more into a shadowy grey.

“So, kiddo,” his voice is light as he brushes the soft bristles over her cheeks, “you’re sure this is what you want to be for Halloween?”

He pauses to let Frisk nod rapidly and went back to painting when she fell still again, “Okay weirdo. Don’t know why you want to be a _skeleton _for Halloween.” He muttered, “There’s way scary things to be for Halloween.”

Frisk’s hands came up and Sans pause to let her sign back to him, “_I’m my hero!_”

Sans’s head tilted, his grin and his soul swelled. Well, that was just sweet wasn’t it? “Heh. Cute kid. You’ll need a red scarf.”

Frisk’s little face scrunched up in confusion, “_Why do I need a scarf?” _she signed back.

“Well, you’re Papyrus, right?” he picked up a little more of the white paint with the other brush, to add a little more of a highlight into her cheeks.

Frisk paused as Sans painted her face a little more, her little brow furrowing before her hands lifted slowly, “_Sans, I’m not Papyrus.” _

Sans felt his own brow furrow in confusion, and his soul did this weird little twist when he makes an unintelligent _huh? _

“_I’m you!” _

Sans feels himself freeze, going unbelievably stiff as he stares at Frisk’s beaming face, her mouth pulled into the biggest grin Sans can remember seeing from her, “Y-your me?”

Frisk gives him a huffy little laugh, “_Yes, of course I am”_

“I. I’m your hero?” his voice is still edging into uncertainty, like he doesn’t quite believe her. After all when your sister is Lilith and your Den had Sloan in it, why would _he _be Frisk’s hero?

“_Of course you are, bonehead.” _And Frisk is still beaming at him.

Sans feels his soul tighten with emotion and his throat thicken, overwhelmed with emotions, with a _softness_ that he hasn’t felt in years and if he’s suddenly blinking really hard, Frisk doesn’t say a thing.

“That’s.” his breathing hitches, and Sans clears his throat, “That’s really neat kiddo.” He would have added in a set of finger guns as well if he hadn’t been hanging onto the paint brushes.

Frisk beams at him and speaks _Sans_ enough to know what he really means.

_Thanks Kiddo, I love you too. _


	32. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus should have known better then to leave Sans's costume up to Sans himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, pure fluffy fluff.

Bouncing on his toes, Papyrus tried not to fidget with his cape while he waited for the rest of the Den to join them.

He shifted his cape around his shoulders, the large S that splashed across his chest shifted as the heavy material pulled at his shirt. Beside him, much to Papyrus great amusement, Frisk held his hand dressed up like Sans.

She had borrowed one of his hoodies, a fresh white t-shirt and Sloan had slicked her hair back and used a temporary spray dye to make her hair white. She was freak’n adorable, and her wide grin showed how much she was enjoying this.

Felix, _finally, _came into the mudroom, his grin wide and his eyes a bright yellow with his joy. Papyrus give him a once over, silently approving of his costume, “FELIX, WHERE ARE THE OTHERS? WE ARE MISSING THE GATHERING OF CANDY!”

Felix grins at him, smoothing out his pin striped suit and fixing the hat of his costume; he’s an old school gangster, complete with a cigar, “Chill Paps, they’re coming.”

As if on que the rest of the Den join them in the mudroom, all ready to take Frisk tick or treating and if Papyrus was being honest with himself, he was excited to be going himself.

Sloan pushed her hair over her shoulder, and Papyrus thinks she makes for a pretty scary Freddy Kruger, the claws around her right hand are shimmering blue magic, and her striped shirt (and really, that’s the part that _throws_ Papyrus) and black pants are blood splattered that looks almost real.

Her face softens when she seems them, her dark eyes sparkling with happiness, “You guys look perfect.” She tells them, and Papyrus beams at her. She means it, and the compliment makes him feel bashful.

Lola is right behind her, the most adorable red riding hood that Papyrus had seen; her dress is poofy with crinoline, that almost makes it hard to walk. Her cape with its hood is a shimmering red, almost like velvet. Ryder is right behind her, his massive frame dressed as a lumberjack, and the fake beard looks almost real. He’s the Brawny man, apparently, and Papyrus can see the appeal of the costume. He drops his eye-lights almost instantly, missing the frown from the massive mage and he hopes that Ryder can’t see the bright, hot orange that is surely spreading across his skull.

His soul does an odd flippity flop when he looks at Ryder, the big, scared mage makes him feel odd. Safe maybe? Warm, Papyrus thinks, and he should probably talk to Sans about it. At least his older brother has experience with mages.

Undyne unexpectedly saves Papyrus from anything embarrassing when she joins them as well, dressed as Daphne from Scooby Doo, and Alphys as Velma, and they too get Papyrus’s nod of approval. Good, don’t think about Ryder, and how _good_ he looks with that tight, plaid shirt.

<strike>Ignore it! </strike>

They all look good, he thinks; there’s soft murmuring back and forth from the Den, everyone liking each others’ costumes. Enjoying the different ideas that came out when they had been left to their own devices.

It had been Lola who, smiling brightly, had thought that maybe next year they could plan a group costume. Papyrus liked the idea of coordinating something like that, and his soul hummed happily at the thought.

<strike>It also meant that the Den was happy to keep them around. That they were happy to keep him around, and that so did Ryder…</strike>

Papyrus looks around, suddenly frowning, “WHERE’S SANS AND LILITH?” he wonders allowed, his anxiety being to spike. 

“I’m here!” Lilith calls as she slides int the mud room with them, her usually neutral expression is bright and her eyes sparkle with mischief, “Sans is coming, give him a sec.”

Papyrus nods, glancing up and down with a frown. He doesn’t get Lilith’s costume, not at all. She’s dressed head to toe in green, all the way down to have gotten new green convers, but her face isn’t painted, and her hair is pulled into its usual pony.

Glancing to the others, Papyrus takes comfort in the fact that everyone else looks as confused and he knows he hasn’t missed a pop culture reference. His voice is small and confused when he asks, “What…I don’t understand your costume Lilith.”

Her smirk sharpens and her eyes sparkle with amusement, “It’ll make sense when Sans gets here.” She said lightly and Papyrus frowns.

It’s the way she said it, the lightness in her tone and the twist of her mouth into her smirk. Papyrus felt his stomach twist, and he can feel a _pun_ coming on.

Between one blink and another, Sans is in the mudroom. His grin is wide, and his eye-lights are bright and Papyrus frowns at him. There is no costume, nothing out of the ordinary with this brother, right down to his black shoes that he had been gifted, but Lilith’s growing smirk tells him another story.

Papyrus is suspicious almost instantly, not liking this one bit, “Sans,” his voice is slow and cautions, “where’s your costume?”

Sans’s eye-lights nearly _sparkle_ with excitement, and his grin is so wide that Papyrus knows that something has gone awry. Sans’s tone is soft and low key, and Papyrus knows he’s going to hate whatever comes out of his brothers’ mouth.

A quick, lazy glance down at his chest has Sans’s smirk growing, “Oh. Whoops, almost forgot to put it on.” He pulls out a small sign from his inventory, complete with a soft rope around it, that Sans loops around his neck.

Papyrus blinks at the sign, then to Sans’s face and then back to the sign. Beside him Felix starts to laugh, the first to get the joke that clearly Papyrus hasn’t gotten yet.

He doesn’t understand why Sans’s costume is funny, or why he’s decided to where a sign that simply reads envy.

Lilith steps up beside Sans, her grin as wide as his in all green. So odd, considering that Lilith never wore green, and…

Green.

Envy.

Green with envy.

Papyrus’s face falls to displeased neutral, despite the spike of amusement that he wouldn’t dare let his older brother see. “Sans.” His voice is flat, despite how the others are beginning to get the joke and laugh, “Is this a joke?”

Sans’s eyes only sparkle in amusement, and Papyrus feels like something inside might have broken with how hard he refuses to laugh, “I disown you brother.” He said in the flattest voice possible that only makes everyone laugh harder.

“Ah come on Paps.”

“And I expected better of you Lilith.”

Lilith’s nearly giddy, something she only is around Sans, and even with the horrible turn of events, Papyrus is happy to see it, “Your perception of me is far too high Paps.” Then her smirk turns a little sharper, and its Sans who is nearly giddy with anticipation, “Besides, the costume is my idea.”

Sans looks elated, and his eye-lights warble, becoming small dim hearts before they shift back into small little circles, and that softens Papyrus’s soul. No matter that her sense of humor is as bad as Sans’s, she makes his brother happy and that’s enough to forgive her for her terrible jokes.

Not that Papyrus will ever admit that.

Instead, he gives Lilith an equally flat look, “I disown you as well human.”

The Den laugh again, and Lilith faux’s hurt has Papyrus shaking his head at, fighting to keep the smile from his face.

They go trick or treating, and the night is filled with creepy stories and creatures of the night. It’s filled with bad jokes and good laughter, and Papyrus watches his brother and his mate. Sees how happy they are together, how Sans seems less tense, the bags under his eyes are not as dark and the set of his shoulder’s eases. Even in public Sans seems to be…at ease with Lilith by his side.

Sans loves Lilith, just as much as the battle mage loves his brother. Watching Lilith and Sans link their hands while they walk just behind Frisk, going door to door, their faces soft with love, Papyrus has hope for a better future. 


End file.
